
Glass. 
Book 






**/ 



■ . I ■■■ 



HISTORY 



OF THE 



TOWN OF MEDFORD, 



libbfes** Counig, PBSsatJmsttte, 



FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT, IN 1630, TO THE PRESENT TIME, 1855. 



BY CHARLES BROOKS. 



" Pleraque eorum quae referam parva fortisan et Ievia memoratu videri, nescius sum."— Tacitus. 
" Nescire quid antea quam natus Bis accident, id est semper esse puerum."— Ciceko. 



BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED BY JAMES M. USHER, 

87, COBNHILL. 
1855. 







BOSTON: 
PRINTED* BY JOHN WILSON AND SON, 

22, School Street. 









3 Jb 



TO 



%\t Smtntants at tire £ir*i MUw tf IWrfartr, 

WHEREVER LIVING, 
AND 

TO ITS PRESENT INHABITANTS, 
Sjje follototns ^tstors is respectfully Xnscrfbetj 

BY THEIR HUMBLE SERVANT, 

CHARLES BROOKS. 



PREFACE 



In writing this History, it has been my -wish to secure Medford such terri- 
tory in time as its acres are territory in space. The gathering of these 
annals has been too long delayed. Time, moth, and rust have done then- 
fatal work on many valuable materials ; and some gentlemen, who felt a 
deep interest in their native town, have died without leaving any manu- 
script testimonies. When the history of New England shall be written, 
the true data will be drawn from the records of its towns. Now, therefore, 
in humble imitation of those States in our Union which have contributed 
each its block of granite, marble, or copper to the National Monument at 
Washington, I ask leave to offer Medford's historical contribution to the 
undecaying pyramidic monument which justice and genius will hereafter 
raise to the character and institutions of New England. 

The records of the first forty years are lost. I have reproduced them, 
as far as I could, from documents in the General Court relating to our ear- 
liest history ; from several monuments of the first settlers, which are yet 
standing among us ; from authentic traditions which were early recorded ; 
and from collateral histories of the neighboring towns. To find the lost, 
and remember the forgotten, seems to be the province of the local annalist. 
From the moment I reached the first town-records of Medford (1674), I 
implicitly followed those excellent guides. Where I could save space by 
abbreviations, without altering the sense, I have occasionally done so in my 
quotations, and have used our modern orthography. The spirit of anti- 
quarian research, now beginning to show itself, will lead to the discovery of 
many facts concerning the early history of Medford which are beyond my 
reach. These may soon render necessary a new history of the town ; and 
I hope it may be undertaken by a person whose ability and leisure will 
enable him to do far greater justice to the subject than has been within 
my power. 

There are no foot-notes in this volume. My reason for incorporating 
such matter with the text is this : whenever notes are printed at the bottom 
of a page, it is expected they will be read in at the place where the asterisk 
in the text directs. If the note is put there to be read in there, why not 
put it into the text at that place, and thus save the eye the trouble of wan- 
dering down to the bottom of the page to hunt up the note, and then 
wandering back again to find the spot whence it started on its search ? If 
the new mode I have adopted should prove inconvenient to readers, they 
must so declare against it that no writer will follow the example. 

I have received great help from the Massachusetts Colony Records ; and 
Dr. N. B. Shubtleff's beautiful edition of them is a noble monument to a 



VI PREFACE. 

faithful student and public benefactor. I have also gathered much from the 
Historical Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, — from Win- 
throp, Hutchinson, Wood, and other early -writers ; and especially from 
the registries of Deeds and Probate. Mr. Frothingham's " History of 
Charlestown " is invaluable. I have obtained less information from old manu- 
scripts in Medford than I expected. Many such important papers, long since 
collected here, have been irrecoverably scattered. I have received aid from 
Caleb Swan, Esq., of New York ; from Mr. Joseph P. Hall, the accurate 
town-clerk ; from Rev. Samuel Sewall, Mr. W. B. Shedd, and several 
other friends. To each and all I would here offer my sincere thanks. To 
Messrs. William Tufts, of Boston, George W. Porter and Peter C. 
Hall, of Medford, I owe special acknowledgments for their examination 
of my proof-sheets. The Register of Families has been prepared by my 
young friend, Mr. William H. Whitmore, of Boston. With the patience 
that belongs to older scholars, with an accuracy that belongs to a true lover 
of genealogical inquiry, and with a generosity that issues from a Christian 
heart, he has devoted himself to these researches ; and every family men- 
tioned in the Register owes him a debt of gratitude. Collegisse juvat. 

By means of printed circulars and public addresses in 1853, '54, and '55, 
I gave very urgent invitations to all the living descendants of our ancestors, 
and to all the present inhabitants of Medford, to furnish me with genealo- 
gical registers of their families, promising to insert all they might send. 
Many have complied with these requests, and many have not. I regret 
exceedingly that families, who alone possess the requisite information, should 
have withheld it. It is a serious loss to our history, and may hereafter be 
regretted by themselves. In this respect, the history of a town is apt to 
disappoint everybody. These registers of early families in New England 
will contain the only authentic records of the true Anglo-Saxon blood 
existing among us ; for, if foreign immigration should pom- in upon us for 
the next fifty years as it has for the last thirty, it will become difficult for 
any man to prove that he has descended from the Plymouth Pilgrims. 

I have introduced much collateral history, as illustrative of local laws, 
ideas, and customs. The true history of a town is nearly an epitome 
of that of the State. It is not a single portrait, but a full-length figure 
amidst a group, having the closest relations to all contemporary life, and 
to all surrounding objects. To neglect these accessory circumstances and 
illustrations, is to leave all life out of historic details, and convert history 
into a wide, silent field of graves, ruins, and darkness. I have spared no 
pains or expense in collecting materials for this work ; but my chief solici- 
tude has been concerning its accuracy. In no case have I recorded a fact, 
or drawn an inference, without having satisfactory historical evidence of its 
truth. I-f my labors shall help to fix Medford in the elevated rank it now 
holds in the State, and shall stimulate future generations to deserve and 
attain a higher, my proudest hopes will be realized. That peace may for 
ever be within its walls, and prosperity within its palaces, is the fervent 
prayer of its humble friend, 

CHARLES BROOKS. 



CONTENTS. 



(FOR ALPHABETICAL INDEX OP NAMES, SEE END OV THE VOLUME.) 



. CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Name and Location. — Boundaries. — Ponds. — Mystic River. — 
Brooks. — Hills. — Climate. — Soil and Productions. — 
Natural History 1 

II. 

Medford Records. — First Settlement. — Monuments of Early 

Times Roads. — Bridges. — Indians. — Mathew Cradock . 27 

III. 
Civil History. — Expenses. — Medford a Town. — Causes of 
Prosperity. — Chairmen of the Board of Selectmen. — 
Treasurers. — Town-Clerks. — Governor Brooks .... 93 

IV. 

Political History. — Votes for Representatives in Congress. — 
Councillors and Senators. — Representatives. — Justices of 
the Peace. — Col. Isaac Royal 143 

V. 

Military History. — Medford Light Infantry. — Brooks Pha- 
lanx. — Lawrence Light Guard. — Capt. Thomas Pritchard. 
— Col. Ebenezer Francis. — Adj. Francis Tufts. — Lieut. 
John Brooks. — Col. Alexander S. Brooks 181 

VI. 

Ecclesiastical History. — Rev. Aaron Porter. — Rev. Ebenezer 

Turell. — Rev. David Osgood, D.D 200 



• • • 



VU1 CONTENTS. 

VII. 

PAGE. 

Ecclesiastical History continued. — First Parish. — Second 
Congregational Society. — Universalis! Society. — Baptist 
Society. — Methodist Society. — Mystic Church. — Grace 
Church 249 

VIII. 

Education. — Academies. — Institute. — Libraries. — Lyceum 
Lectures. — Tufts College. — Graduates. — Physicians. — 
Lawyers. — Public Characters. — Authors" 278 

rx. 

Public Buildings. — Meeting-houses. — School-houses. — TWn 

Hall. — Alms-houses — Engine-houses 325 

X. 

Trade. — Manufactures. — Brick-making. — Ship-building. — 
Register of Vessels. — Fisheries. — Medford Crackers. — 
Distillation. — Lightering. — Mills. — Middlesex Canal. — 
Prices in Medford 349 

.XI. 
Currency. — Taxes. — Map. — Post Office. — Taverns. — Burying- 

grounds 401 

XII. 

Crimes and Punishments. — Slavery. — Pauperism. — Tornado. — 

Storms and Freshets. — Fires. — Pounds. — Diseases . . . 431 

XIH. 
Population. — Manners and Customs. — Daily and Domestic 

Habits 451 

XIV. 
Fire-department. — Societies 471 

XV. 

Historical Items. — Letter 478 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES 499 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



CHAPTER I. 



NAME AND LOCATION. 

Medfokd, a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, lies 
in 42° 25' 14" 42, north latitude, and 71° 07' 14" 32, west 
longitude. It is about five miles N. N. W. from the State 
House in Boston ; and about four miles N. W. by N. from 
Bunker-Hill Monument. It borders on Somerville, West 
Cambridge, Winchester, Stoneham, Melrose, and Maiden. 

It received the name of Meadford from the adventurers 
who arrived at Salem, in May, 1630, and came thence to 
settle here in June. When these first comers marked the 
flatness and extent of the marshes, resembling vast meads or 
meadows, it may have been this peculiarity of surface which 
suggested the name of Meadford, or the "great meadow." 
In one of the earliest deeds of sale it is written Metford, and 
in the records of the Massachusetts Colony, 1641, Meadfoard. 
The Selectmen and Town-clerks often spelled it Meadford ; 
but, after April, 1715, it has been uniformly written Medford. 
No reason is given for these changes ; and why it received 
its first name, history does not tell us. Josselyn in 1638, 
writes thus : " On the north-west side of the (Mystic) river 
is the town of Mistick, three miles from Charlestown, a league 
and a half by water." This author gives the name of Mis- 
tick to land on the north side of the river, and reports a 
thriving population as then gathered between the two brick 
houses, called forts, which are yet standing. At that early 
period, boundary lines were indefinitely settled, and names as 



% HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

indefinitely applied. It was afterwards the intention of some 
to unite Mr. Cradock's, Mr. Winthrop's, Mr. Wilson's, and 
Mr. NowelPs lands in one township, and call it Mystic. 

BOUND AKIES. 

Medford, until 1640, was surrounded by Charlestown, 
which embraced Maiden, Stoneham, Woburn, Burlington, 
Somerville, a part of Cambridge, West Cambridge, and 
Medford. At a Court holden at Boston, April 1, 1634 : 
" There is two hundred acres of land granted to Mr. Increase 
No well, lying and being on the west side of North River, called 
Three-mile Brook" (Maiden River). " There is two hundred 
acres of land granted to Mr. John Wilson, Pastor of the Church 
in Boston, lying next the land granted to Mr. Nowell on the 
south, and next Meadford on the north." Medford bounds 
would have run to Maiden River, had not these four hundred 
acres of land intervened. Outside of this narrow strip were the 
first boundaries of Medford on the north-east. The north and 
north-western bounds were the " Rocks ; " that range of 
granite hills, of which Pine Hill forms a part. The line ran 
north of Symmes' Corner, and struck Symmes' river. The 
Pond and Mystic River formed the southern and western 
boundaries. 

As proof of these statements, we have the following 
records : General Court, July 2, 1633. — "It is ordered that 
the ground lying betwixt the North River and the Creek on 
the north side of Mr. Maverick's, and so up into the country, 
shall belong to the inhabitants of Charlestown." "General 
Court holden at Newtown, March 4, 1634. All the ground, 
as well upland as meadow, lying and being betwixt the land 
of Mr. Nowell and Mr. Wilson, on the east, and the parti- 
tion betwixt Mystick bounds on the west, bounded with 
Mistick River on the south and the Rocks on the north, is 
granted to Mr. Mathew Cradock, merchant, to enjoy to him 
and his heirs for ever." 

General Court, March 3, 1635. — " Ordered, That the land 
formerly granted to Mr. Mathew Cradock, merchant, shall ex- 
tend a mile into the country from the river-side in all places." 

General Court, March 3, 1636. — " Ordered, That Charles- 
town bounds shall run eight miles into the country, from 
their meeting-house, if no other bounds intercept, reserving 



BOUNDARIES. S 

the propriety of farms granted to John Winthrop, Esq., Mr. 
Nowell, Mr. Cradock, and Mr. Wilson, to the owners thereof, 
as also free ingress and egress for the servants and cattle of 
the said gentlemen, and common for their cattle on the back 
side of Mr. Cradock's farm." 

General Court, Oct. 7, 1640. — "Mr. Tynge, Mr. Samuel 
Sheephard, and Goodman Edward Converse, are to set out the 
bounds between Charlestown and Mr. Cradock's farm on the 
north side of Mistick River " (Stoneham and Maiden). 

" Mystick Side " was the first name of Maiden ; " Mystick 
Fields " the name of the land on the south side of Mystic 
River from Winter Hill to Medford Pond. 

April 13, 1687. — The inhabitants of Medford appointed 
three gentlemen, who, in conjunction with three appointed 
by Charlestown, were directed to fix the boundaries between 
the two towns. 

That Committee report as follows : " We have settled and 
marked both stakes and lots as followeth : From the Creek 
in the salt marsh by a ditch below Wilson's farm and Medford 
farm to a stake and heap of stones out of the swamp, then 
turning to a savin-tree and to three stakes more to heaps of 
stones within George Blanchard's field with two stakes more 
and heaps of stones standing all on the upland, and so round 
from stake to stake as the swamp runneth, and then straight 
to a stake on the south side of the house of Joseph Blanch- 
ard's half, turning then to another oak, an old marked tree, 
thence to a maple-tree, old marks, thence unto two young 
maples, new marked, and thence to three stakes to a creek- 
head, thence straight to the corner line on the south side of 
the country road leading to " — (Maiden). How soon must 
such marks and bounds be effaced or removed ! 

Oct. 23, 1702. — Medford voted to petition the General 
Court to have a tract of land, lying in the south of Andover, 
(two miles square) set off to it. 

May 24, 1734. — Medford voted, " That the town will pe- 
tition for a tract of land beginning at the southerly end of 
Medford line, on the easterly side of said town, running 
there eastward on Charlestown to the mouth of Maiden 
River, there running nearly northward on the said Maiden 
River to the mouth of " Creek Head Creek," there running 
with said creek to Medford easterly line. And also a piece 
of land on the northerly side of said Medford, bounded 
easterly on Maiden line, northerly on Stoneham and Woburn 



4 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

line, westerly on the line betwixt Mr. Symmes' and Gardner's 
farm, running there northward to Mystic Pond, with the 
the inhabitants thereof." 

March 31, 1735. — Voted " to choose a Committee to join 
with the Committee of Charlestown, to settle the bounds of 
the said town on the north-westerly part of said bounds, 
which have been disputed." 

May 14, 1744. — Voted to choose a Committee to settle 
with Charlestown the bounds between the two towns " near 
the place called Mystic Pond." 

" March 7, 1748. — Put to vote to know the mind of the 
town, whether they will choose a Committee to use their best 
endeavors to have the lands with their inhabitants, now 
belonging to Charlestown, added to this town, which now 
are on the southerly and northerly sides of this town." 

This was not successful; but, May 14, 1753, the effort 
was renewed ; and the town asks for 2,800 acres, and was 
successful. 

The bounds, mentioned in the petition to the General 
Court, were as follows : " On the southerly side, those that 
the town petitioned for in the year 1738 ; and those on the 
northerly side, bounded northerly on Stoneham, on the town 
of Woburn and by the northerly bounds of Mr. William 
Symmes' farm, and easterly on Maiden." The bounds desig- 
nated in the petition of March 6, 1738, are as follows : " The 
southerly tract lying in Charlestown bounded northerly with 
the (river) . . . westerly with the westerly bounds of Mr. 
Smith's, Mr. Joseph Tufts' and Mr. Jonathan Tufts' farms, 
and then running from the southerly corner of Mr. Jonathan 
Tufts' farm, eastward straight to the westerly corner of Col. 
Royal's farm ; again westerly with the westerly bounds of 
Col. Royal's farm ; again southerly with its southerly bounds, 
and then running from the south-easterly corner thereof east- 
ward straight to Medford River." 

The action of the Legislature is thus recorded : " April 
18, 1754. John Quincy, Esq., brought down the petition of 
the town of Medford, as entered the 17th December last, 
with a report of a Committee of both houses. Signed — Jos. 
Pynchon." 

" Passed in Council ; viz. : In Council, April 17th, 1754. 
Read and accepted, with the amendment at A ; and ordered, 
That the lands within mentioned, together with the inhabi- 
tants thereon, be and hereby are set off from the town of 



PONDS. O 

Charlestown to the town of Medford accordingly. Sent down 
for concurrence. Read and concurred." 

Thus on the 17th of April, 1754, Medford was enlarged 
by all its territory now lying on the south side of the river. 

March 13, 1771. — A committee was chosen by the 
inhabitants of Medford, "to run the lines anew between 
Charlestown and Medford, and set up some monuments 
between the towns." A joint Committee met, and set up 
twenty -two posts as metes. For present bounds, see Wai- 
ting's map. 

Nov. 11, 1647. — The town shall be perambulated once 
in three years. 



PONDS. 

Medford Pond. — This beautiful sheet of water, though 
cousin-german to the sea, is as quiet and retired as if it 
never received a visit from the Atlantic waters. It is about 
three miles in circumference, half a mile in width, and no- 
where more than eighty feet in depth. It is divided into nearly 
equal parts by a shoal called the Partings, where was a road 
used by several persons, some of whom are yet living. The 
lands on each side are slightly elevated, and in future times 
will doubtless be filled with country seats. A brook, origin- 
ating in Lexington and flowing through West Cambridge, 
enters the south pond at the western edge ; and another, flow- 
ing through Baconville, enters the north pond at the north : 
these are all the fresh-water tributary supplies of which 
it can boast. Every twelve hours, it is raised from two to 
six inches, by the inflowing tide through Mystic River ; said 
river finding its source in the bosom of these waters, and its 
end in the sea. 

On the Medford side dwelt the Indian chief; and that 
place was a favorite resort of the tribes visiting the sea-shore, 
or fishing for shad and alewives. 

Spot Pond. — « Feb. 7, 1632. The Governor, Mr. Nowell, Mr. 
Eliot, and others, went over Mistic River at Medford; and, going 
N. and by E. among the rocks about two or three miles, they 
came to a very great pond, having in the midst an island of about 
one acre, and very thick with trees of pine, beech [birch] ; and 
the pond had divers small rocks standing up here and there in it, 



6 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

which they therefore called Spot Pond. They went all about it 
upon the ice. From thence (towards the N. W. about half a mile) 
they came to the top of a very high rock, beneath which (towards 
the N.) lies a goodly plain, part open land and part woody, from 
whence there is a fair prospect ; but, it being then close and rainy, 
they could see but a small distance. This place they called Cheese 
Rock, because, when they went to eat somewhat, they had only 
cheese (the Governor's man forgetting, for haste, to put up some 
bread)." 

Cheese Rock may be easily found on the west side of 
Forest Street, half a mile N. W. of the northerly border of 
Spot Pond. 



MYSTIC RIVER. 

This river is felt to belong to Medford ; for we may 
almost say that it has its beginning, continuance, and end 
within the limits of our town. Where or why it obtained 
its name we know not. It presented the decisive reason to 
our ancestors for settling on this spot. We apprehend it is 
very much to-day what it was two hundred years ago. The tide 
rises about twelve feet at the bridge, and about eight at Rock 
Hill ; but it rises and falls so gently as not to wear away the 
banks, even when ice floats up and down in its currents. 

The first record we have concerning it is Sept. 21, 1621. 
On that day, a band of pilgrim adventurers from Plymouth 
came by water " to Massachusetts Bay ; " and they coasted 
by the opening of our river. In their report they remark : 
" Within this bay the salvages say there are two rivers ; the 
one whereof we saw (Mystic) having a fair entrance, but we 
had no time to discover it." 

Johnson says : " The form of Charlestown, in the frontis- 
piece thereof, is like the head, neck, and shoulders of a man ; 
only the pleasant and navigable river of Mistick runs through 
the right shoulder thereof." 

Rivers were the first highways ; and, as it was easier to 
build a canoe than open a road, trade took the course of navi- 
gable streams. The building of small barks on the banks 
of .Mystic River, as early as 1631, shows its superior claims 
to other places. Trade with Boston commenced before 1645, 
and the river was the thoroughfare. Long open boats were 
used for transportation, and they substituted the tide for oars 



MYSTIC RIVER. 1 

and sails. They were sometimes drawn with ropes by men 
who walked on the bank. 

There was a ford across this stream at the Wear till 1748. 
The ford in the centre of Medford continued in use till 1639, 
and was about ten rods above the bridge. The Penny Ferry, 
where Maiden Bridge now is, was established by Charles- 
town, April 2, 1640, and continued to September 28, 1787. 
There was, till recently, but one island in the river, and 
that is near the shore in Maiden, at Moulton's Point, and is 
called " White Island." Two have since been made; one 
by cutting through "Labor in Vain," and the other by 
straightening the passage above the bridge. 

The depth of the river is remarkable for one so narrow, 
and its freedom from sunken rocks and dangerous shoals 
more remarkable still. Its banks are generally very steep, 
showing that it becomes wider with age, if it changes at all. 
It has not probably changed its current much since our 
fathers first saw it ; and the marshes through which it flows 
look to our eyes as they did to theirs. Few events of 
extraordinary interest have been witnessed upon its waters. 
The well-known curve in the bed of the river, near "the 
rock," extending more than half a mile, made the passage 
round it so difficult, especially with sails, that it soon received 
the name of Labor in Vain. It often became necessary for 
men to drag boats round a part of this narrow strip of land, 
by means of ropes stretched to the shore. In 1761, the 
inhabitants of Medford proposed to cut a canal across this 
peninsula ; and they voted to do it, if it could be done by sub- 
scription ! The expense was found to fall upon so few that 
the plan failed. "Within our day it has been accomplished. 

In the revolutionary war, our river was occasionally a resort 
for safety. August 6, 1775, Mr. Nowell says : " This day, 
skirmishing up Mistick River. Several soldiers brought over 
here (Boston) wounded. The house at Penny Ferry, Maiden 
side, burnt." August 13th he says: "Several Gondaloes 
sailed up Mistick River, upon which the Provincials (Med- 
ford) and they had a skirmish; many shots were exchanged, 
but nothing decisive." 

Lightering had become so extensive a business as to need 
every facility ; and in April, 1797, the town chose a Com- 
mittee to examine the bed and banks of the river ; and, if they 
found that any clearing was necessary, they were empowered 
to do it. 



8 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

March 7, 1803. — A Committee was appointed by the town 
" to find out what rights the town has on the river." 

Ship-building made the river an object of vital importance ; 
and, while the tonnage of the ships was small, the depth 
of water was deemed sufficient ; yet there were many who 
wished the town might widen and deepen the bed. Several 
applications were made, but always without success. In 
June, 1836, an effort was made in earnest ; but the impres- 
sion with the majority of voters was, that no expense need 
be incurred until some vessel had found it impossible to float 
down on the highest tides. This misfortune never occurred. 
It always has had depth of water sufficient to float any empty, 
unrigged ship of 2,500 tons. March 14, 1843, the town 
voted to remove and prevent all obstructions to the free ebb 
and flow of the water. 

At the time when Medford was the centre of considerable 
trade ; when vessels were loaded at our wharves for the West 
India markets ; when bark and wood were brought from 
Maine, and we had rich and active merchants among us ; at 
that time it was no unusual sight to see two, four, or six 
sloops and schooners at our wharves, and as many in our 
river. 

Soon after Fulton had propelled vessels by steam, a vessel 
so propelled came up our river to Medford, and was here 
repaired. 

The number of adult persons who have been drowned in 
Mystic River is not small. In the early records, deaths 
in this way are often noticed. About fifty years ago, there 
seemed something like fatality in this matter. One death by 
drowning occurred each year, through so many years in suc- 
cession, that the inhabitants got to think that there was a 
river-god, who would have his annual sacrifice. 

On the borders of this stream, there have always existed 
what are now called " landings." These were used by the 
Indians for rendezvous during their annual fishing seasons. 
Afterwards they were used by our fathers for loading and un- 
loading of sloops and schooners. Later still, they were used 
by our fishermen for emptying their nets. Some have recently 
been occupied as ship-yards. In the Wade Family there is a 
tradition that their ancestor, Major Jonathan Wade, gave to 
the town, about the year 1680, the landing place now occu- 
pied by Mr. J. T. Foster. 

Feb. 21, 1698. — At this time the river was frozen, as it is 



BROOKS. y 

in our day. Judge Sewall, under this date, says : " I rode 
over to Charlestown on the ice, then over to Stower's (Chel- 
sea), so to Mr. "Wigglesworth. The snow was so deep that I 
had a hard journey ; could go but a foot-pace on Mystic River, 
the snow was so deep." 

The absence of epidemics in Medford is to be attributed 
in part to the presence of our river. At high tide the water 
is brackish ; and, at the spring tides, quite salt. As the banks 
are wet anew by the rising tide every twelve hours, and are 
left to dry when the waters run out, the exhalations from 
this operation are great every day, though invisible ; and they 
salt the atmosphere, and cleanse it, and make it healthy. 
The exact reverse of this would be the case, if there could 
be a fresh-water tide, which should leave fresh-water vege- 
tables exposed every day to the action of the sun. This 
beautiful and breathing stream, which seems to have studied 
the laws of grace, as it winds and wreathes itself through the 
intervale, has one more claim to notice, if not to gratitude. 
To the boys of Medford how welcome are its waters through 
the warm season ! So vivid are our recollections of our daily 
bath in this beloved river, that we think it worth while for 
parents to send their children from the country here to school, 
if only to strengthen and delight them with a salt bath in the 
Mystic. 

BROOKS. 

That which runs a short distance east of the "West Med- 
ford Depot, on the Lowell Railroad, was called Whitmore's 
Brook after the pious deacon, whose house was on the north 
side of High Street, about two rods west of the brook. It 
rises in "Bear Meadow." 

Marble Brook, now called "Meeting-house Brook," crosses 
High Street about forty rods north-east of "Rock Hill." In 
spring, smelts resort to it in great numbers. 

The brook or creek over which Gravelly Bridge is built 
was called " Gravelly Creek," but more lately " Pine Hill 
Brook." The stream is small, but much swelled by winter 
rains. It has its source in Turkey Swamp. 

The brook which crosses the road, at a distance of a quar- 
ter of a mile south of the " Royal House," was named 
"Winter Brook." It has its source near the foot of Walnut 
Hill. 

2 



10 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



HILLS. 

The hill commanding the widest prospect, and most visited 
by pleasure parties, is " Pine Hill," in the north-east part of 
the town, near Spot Pond. As part of the low range of hills, 
called the " Rocks," which runs east and west, and nearly 
marks the northern boundary of the town, it is the highest. 
It was covered with as dense a forest as its thin soil on the 
rock could sustain. In early time the wood was burned. 
When the army was stationed near us, in 1775—6, the wood 
was cut off, in part, for its supply. After then it grew, and 
within twenty years has been a thick wood again. Recently 
the whole hill has been denuded, and much of its poetry lost. 
The earth looks best with its beard. This eminence — which 
commands a view of Chelsea and Boston Harbor on the east ; 
Boston, Roxbury, and Cambridge, on the south ; Brighton, 
Watertown, and West Cambridge, on the west ; and a vast 
track of woodland on the north — has on its summit a flat 
rock, called " Lover's Rock ; " one of those register-surfaces 
where a young gentleman, with a hammer and a nail, could 
engrave the initials of two names provokingly near together. 
The view from this hill, so diversified and grand, fills the eye 
with pleasure, and the mind with thought. 

" Pasture Hill," on which Dr. Swan's summer-house, 
in his garden, now stands, is high, and commands much of 
the eastern and southern scenery above noticed. The hill is 
mostly rock, and will afford, in coming years, a most magni- 
ficent site for costly houses. 

The next highest and most interesting spot, on the north 
side of the river, is "Mystic Mount," in West Medford, 
near the Brooks Schoolhouse. It is owned by the town, 
and commands much the same view as Pine Hill, only at a 
lower angle. To some of us who have kept it for more than 
half a century, as our favorite look-out, it has charms inde- 
scribably dear, and we regard it somewhat as we do an ancient 
member of a family. Its neighbor, " Rock Hill," on the 
border of the river, is a barren rock, so high as to overlook 
the houses situated at the east, and to afford a most delight- 
ful view of West Cambridge. 

w Walnut Tree Hill," on the south side of the river, was 
once covered with walnut-trees. The Tufts College on its 
top enjoys perhaps an unparalleled site. From the roof of 



CLIMATE. 11 

that building the eye has a panorama not surpassed for what 
might be called a home-view. The spires of twenty-eight 
churches are in sight ; also the State House, Cambridge 
Colleges, Bunker Hill Monument, the old Powder House, 
and the most captivating view of Medford. The beauties of 
upland and valley, of meadows and marshes, of river and 
creeks, of ocean and islands, of cities and towns, all lie im- 
mediately beneath, in that domestic nearness and manageable 
form which seems to doubly make them the property of the 
eye. 

There are many smaller hills within Medford, making 
parts of the " Rocks " at the north, which have not yet 
received names. One fact is worthy notice, that among these 
hills there are copious springs of the sweetest water ; and, in 
imagination, we can see them falling in beautiful cascades in 
the future gardens of opulent citizens. 



CLIMATE. 

A short record only of this is necessary. Governor Win- 
throp writes, July 23, 1630 : " For the country itself, I 
can discern little difference between it and our own. We 
have had only two days which I have observed more hot 
than in England. Here is sweet air, fair rivers, and plenty 
of springs, and the water better than in England." An 
experience of only six weeks in June and July was not 
enough to warrant a safe judgment concerning the climate. 
Another testimony, Oct. 30, 1631, is as follows: "The 
Governor having erected a building of stone at Mistic, there 
came so violent a storm of rain, for twenty-four hours, that 
(it being not finished, and laid with clay for want of lime) 
two sides of it were washed down to the ground, and much 
harm was done to the other houses by that storm." The 
form of the land in this neighborhood has its effect on our 
climate. We have neither of the extremes which belong to 
deep, long valleys, and high mountains. We have very little 
fog during the year. In Medford there are few, if any, places 
where water can stagnate ; it readily finds its way to the 
river; and the good influence of this fact on climate and 
health is considerable. The presence of salt water and salt 
marshes is another favorable circumstance. Lightnings do 
not strike here so often as between ranges of high hills ; and 



12 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

the thermometer does not report Medford as famous for 
extremes of heat or cold. The time, we think, is not far 
distant, when the great law, regulating the changes of the 
weather, will be discovered. God hasten the momentous 
development ! 

SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 

The soil in New England, like that of all primitive forma- 
tions, is rocky, thin, and hard to till. A visitor from the 
western prairies, when he first looks on our fields, involun- 
tarily asks, " How can you get your living out of these 
lands?" We reply, that the little soil we have is very 
strong, and by good manure and hard labor we get the best 
of crops. We generally add, that we, New Englanders, are 
granite men, and can do almost any thing ! 

That the virgin soil, first opened by our European ploughs, 
should give a prophetic yield, is not surprising. The richest 
spots only had been chosen by the Indians. Capt. Smith, in 
his voyage here (1614), calls the territory about us "the 
paradise of all those parts." 

Rev. Mr. Higginson, writing to his friends in England, in 
1629, on "New England's Plantation," gives the following 
description of the soil, climate, and productions : — 

" I have been careful to report nothing but what I have seen 
with my own eyes. The land at Charles River is as fat, black 
earth as can be seen anywhere. Though all the country be, as it 
were, a thick wood for the general, yet in divers places there is 
much ground cleared by the Indians. It is thought here is good 
, clay to make bricks, and tyles, and earthern pots, as need be. At 
this instant we are sitting a brick kiln on work. 

" The fertility of the soil is to be admired at, as appeareth in 
the abundance of grass that groweth everywhere, both very thick, 
very long, and very high, in divers places. But it groweth very 
wildly, with a great stalk, and a broad and ranker blade ; because 
it never had been eaten by cattle, nor mowed by a sythe, and sel- 
dom trampled on by foot. It is scarce to be believed how our 
kine and goats, horses and hoggs, do thrive and prosper here and 
like well of this country. Our turnips, parsnips, and carrots are 
here both bigger and sweeter than is ordinary to be found in Eng- 
land. Here are stores of pumpions, cowcumbers, and other things 
of that nature. Also, divers excellent pot herbs, strawberries, 
pennyroyal, wintersaverie, sorrell, brookelime, liverwort, and 
watercresses ; also, leekes and onions are ordinarie, and divers 



SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 13 

physical herbs. Here are plenty of single damask roses, very 
sweet ; also, mulberries, plums, raspberries, currants, chessnuts, 
filberds, walnuts, smallnuts, hurtleberries, and hawes of white- 
thorne, near as good as cherries in England. They grow in plenty 
here." 

The fullest credit may be given to these statements of Mr. 
Higginson. They show, among other things, that the region 
we now occupy was a dense forest in 1629. This confirms 
the story told of Gov. Winthrop ; that when he took up his 
residence on his farm at " Ten Hills," on the bank of Mystic 
River, he one day penetrated the forest near " Winter Hill." 
He so lost his latitude and longitude as to become entirely 
bewildered. Night came on, and he knew not which way to 
steer. After many ineffectual trials to descry any familiar 
place, he resigned himself to his fate, kindled a fire, put phi- 
losophy in his pocket, and bivouacked, feeling much as St. 
Paul did in his shipwreck -voyage, when they " cast anchor, 
and wished for day." "What the Governor learned or 
dreamed of during that rural night we are not specifically 
told ; but his absence created a sharp alarm among his family, 
and a hunting party started in quest of him. They " shot off 
pieces and hallooed in the night ; but he heard them not." 
He found his way home in the morning, and discovered that 
he had been near his house most of the time. 

It would be hard, in our day, to find a forest within sight 
of the " Ten-Hill Farm " in which a boy of ten years old 
could be lost for a moment. The almost entire destruction 
of our forests within twenty miles of Boston, and our inex- 
plicable neglect in planting new ones, argues ill, not only for 
our providence and economy, but for our patriotism and taste. 
Plant a hogshead of acorns in yonder rockland, and your 
money will return you generous dividends from nature's 
savings' bank. 

In 1629, Mr. Graves, of Charlestown, said in a letter sent 
to England: "Thus much I can affirm in general, that I 
never came in a more goodly country in all my life. If it 
hath not at any time been manured and husbanded, yet it is 
very beautiful in open lands, mixed with goodly woods, and 
again open plains, in some places five hundred acres, some 
places more, some less, not much troublesome for to clear for 
the plough to go in ; no place barren, but on the tops of 
hills." 



14 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Governor Winthrop, writing to his son, runs a parallel 
between the soil of Mistick and its neighborhood, and the 
soil of England, and says : " Here is as good land as I have 
seen there, though none so bad as there. Here can be no 
want of any thing to those, who bring means to raise out of 
the earth and sea." Nov. 29, 1630, he writes to his wife, 
and says : " My dear wife, we are here in a paradise." Such 
testimony from a Mystic man, and he the Governor, reads 
agreeably to our ears. The grants of land made by the 
General Court to Governor Winthrop, Mr. Cradock, Rev. 
Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Nowell, show conclusively what the 
best judges thought of the soil and capabilities of Medford. 

Deputy-Governor Dudley, in 1631, writes: "That honest 
men, out of a desire to draw others over to them, wrote 
somewhat hyperbolically of many things here." 

Our first farmers here were taught by the Indians how to 
raise corn ; and, in return for that kind service, they gave the 
redmen European seeds, and called the American grain 
"Indian corn." Their crop in 1631 was most abundant ; and 
they began the strange experiment of eating Indian corn, 
yet with singular misgivings. The crop of the next year 
was small, owing to the shortness and humidity of the sum- 
mer. Their fields were not generally fenced, and boundary 
lines were often unsettled. After a few years, fences became 
more necessary ; and Sagamore John was made to fence his 
field, and promised to indemnify the whites for any damages 
his men or cattle should do to their cornfields. There were 
many lands held in common by companies of farmers, as 
lands are now held in Nantucket. These large tracts were 
enclosed by fences, planted by the whole company ; and, at 
the harvest, each received according to his proportion in the 
investment. This complicated plan brought its perplexities ; 
and the General Court, to settle them, passed the following 
law, May 26, 1647: Ordered, "That they who own the 
largest part of any lands common shall have power to order 
and appoint the improvement of the whole field." 

The farmers here experienced great inconvenience and 
alarm from the burning of woods. Such was the Indian 
system of clearing a forest; but it would not do where 
European settlements obtained. Oar fathers therefore applied 
legislation to the matter in the following form : " Nov. 5, 
1639. — Ordered, That whosoever shall kindle a fire in other 
men's grounds, or in any common grounds, shall be fined 



SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 15 

forty shillings. No fires to be kindled before the first of 
March." 

They offered a small bounty on every acre of planted field. 
We presume that the Colony of Massachusetts was quite as 
far advanced in agricultural skill and productive harvests 
as that of Connecticut ; therefore, we can judge from Mr. 
Wolcott's farm in Connecticut what and how much our 
Medford farmers raised. That distinguished magistrate says 
(1638): "I made five hundred hogsheads of cider out of 
my own orchard in one year ! " We apprehend these hogs- 
heads were not of the modern size, but were a larger kind 
of barrel. He says: "Cider is 10s. a hogshead." He gives 
an enumeration of products thus : " English wheat, rye, flax, 
hemp, clover, oats, corn, cherries, quince, apple, pear, plum, 
barberry-trees." A very tasteful catalogue ! It sounds very 
little like scarcity or self-denial. 

It seems that the land hereabouts was as rich and produc- 
tive as in any of the neighboring states : nevertheless, it 
needed help from manure ; and Johnson tells us, that in this 
region "there was a great store of fish in the spring time, 
and especially alewives, about the largeness of a herring. 
Many thousand of these they use to put under their Indian 
corn." They are sometimes so used at this day. 

May 22, 1639. — " It is forbidden to all men, after the 
20th of next month, to employ any cod or bass fish for 
manuring of ground." 

May 26, 1647. — Ordered, "That all cattle that feed on 
public commons shall be marked with pitch." 

Hiring land was not unusual. There were many adventu- 
rers who did not belong to the company, and they settled 
where they could buy or hire at the best advantage. Oct. 7, 
1640, we find the following record : " John Greenland is 
granted his petition, which is, to plant upon a five-acre lot in 
Charlestown, bounds on Mistick River." 

The rule for planting was : Plant when the white-oak 
leaves are the size of a mouse's ear. Hence the lines : — 

" When the white-oak leaves look goslin grey, 
Plant then, be it April, June, or May." 

The first settlers very soon found clay in different parts of 
their plantation, where cellars and wells were dug ; and they 
concluded that drought could not extensively injure a soil 
which had a deep substratum of this water-proof material. 



16 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

It may be interesting to see the progress of vegetation in 
this locality. It is as follows : — 

" 1646, Aug. 1. The great pears ripe. 
,, 3. The long apples ripe. 
,, 12. Blackstone's apples gathered. 
,, 15. Tanker d apples gathered. 
,, 18. Kreton pippins and long red apples gathered. 

1647, July 5. We began to cut the peas in the field. 

„ 14. We began to shear rye. 
Aug. 2. We mowed barley. 

„ Same week we shear summer wheat. 

,, 7. The great pears gathered. 
Sept. 15. The russetins gathered; and pearmaines. 

1648, May 26. Sown one peck of peas, the moon in the full. Observe 

how they prove. 
July 28. Summer apples gathered. 

1649, July 20. Apricoks ripe." 

Oct. 2, 1689. — A tax was to be paid; and the valuations 
were as follow: "Each ox, £2. 10s.; each cow, £1. 10s.; 
each horse, £2 ; each swine, 6s. ; each acre of tillage land, 
5s. ; each acre of meadow and English pasture, 5s." The 
tax on land bounded out in propriety was " 2s. on each hun- 
dred acres." 

Our fathers were farmers after the English modes, and 
therefore had to learn many new ways from the sky and the 
climate. The times of ploughing and planting here, in spring 
and autumn, varied somewhat from those of their native 
land. Some plants, which in cold and misty England wooed 
the sun, could best thrive here if they wooed the shade. 
While land there, with a south-eastern exposure, was worth 
much more for culture than that which faced the north-west, 
the difference here was comparatively small. They were 
happily disappointed in the slight labor and certainty in 
making hay under our sun and clear skies. They had soon 
to learn that their stock of all kinds must be sheltered from 
the destroying cold and storms of an American winter. In 
the preservation of vegetables and fruits, also, our fathers 
had to receive new instruction from the climate. These they 
preserved by burying them. It took them several years to 
adjust themselves to the novel activity of common laws and 
familiar agents. 

As the soil and climate must determine what grains, fruits, 
and vegetables can be raised with profit, it soon became 
evident to our Medford farmers that Indian corn was to be a 
staple. Rye, barley, wheat, and oats were found productive 



SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 17 

as grains ; peas and beans yielded abundantly ; while turnips, 
beets, onions, and parsnips gradually grew into favor. 
Potatoes were not known to our first settlers ; although 
among the articles,/ " to send for New England/' from Lon- 
don, March 16, 1628, " potatoes " are named. The potato 
is a native of Chili and Peru. We think there is no satisfac- 
tory record of potatoes being in England before they were 
carried from Santa Fe, in America, by Sir John Hawkins, in 
1653. They are often mentioned as late as 1692. Their 
first culture in Ireland is referred to Sir Walter Raleigh, 
who had large estates there. A very valuable kind of potato 
was first carried from America by " that patriot of every 
clime," Mr. Howard, who cultivated it at Cardington, near 
Bedford, 1765. Its culture then had become general. Its 
first introduction to this neighborhood is said to have been by 
those emigrants, called the " Scotch Irish," who first entered 
Londonderry, New Hampshire, April 11, 1719. As they 
passed through Andover, Mass., they left some potatoes as 
seed to be planted that spring. They were planted according 
to the directions ; and their balls, when ripened, were supposed 
to be the edible fruit. The balls, therefore, were carefully 
cooked and eaten , but the conclusion was that the Andover 
people did not like potatoes ! An early snow-storm covered 
the potato-field, and kept the tubers safely till the plough of 
the next spring hove them into sight. Some of the largest 
were then boiled; whereupon the Andover critics changed 
their opinion, and have patronized them from that day. When 
the potato was first known in Scotland, it suffered a religious 
persecution, like some other innocent things. The Scots 
thought it to be a most unholy esculent, blasphemous to raise, 
and sacrilegious to eat. They therefore made its cultivation 
an illegal act ; and why ? " Because," as they say, "it is not 
mentioned in the Bible " ! The prejudice against this unof- 
fending vegetable was so great at Naples, in Italy, that the 
people refused to eat it during a famine ! We do not find 
that any epidemic has attacked this healthy plant until the 
potato cholera, which, of late, has nearly ruined it. The soil 
in Medford has been found particularly fitted for this plant, 
owing to a substratum of clay which keeps it moist. The 
early mode of preserving potatoes through the winter was to 
bury them below the reach of the frost, and shelter them 
from rain. 

The barns of our pilgrim fathers were very small, because 

3 



18 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

they stacked their hay out-doors, according to the usage of 
their native land. When sheep and swine could be trusted 
in the woods, they were left there till deep snows made it 
impossible to find food. The fatting of cattle was an easy 
and cheap process ; for they had hundreds of acres over which 
to range, unlooked to by their owners, till the close of the 
summer, when they were taken to the stall, and fed with corn. 
Each quadruped was marked with its owner's name, and was 
immediately restored when it had wandered into a neighbor- 
ing town. / 

When lands were not fenced, the following law, passed 
March 9, 1637, was necessary. "All swine shall be kept 
up in yards, islands, or committed to keepers, under penalty 
of 10s. for every swine so disposed of ; and whatsoever 
swine shall be taken in corn or meadow-ground shall forfeit 
5s. a piece to those that shall empound them, and- the owners 
shall be liable to pay double damages." When mowing 
grounds and tillage fields became fenced, and that was early, 
then it became a common habit with our ancestors to let 
"hogs run at large," as they do now in the city of New 
York ; of which license more may be said of its economy 
than of its neatness. March 10, 1721, the town of Medford 
voted to let the hogs go at large, as they formerly have done. 
This vote was repealed in 1727. There gradually grew up a 
strong dislike of this custom, and some altercations occurred 
in town-meetings concerning it ; when, in March 12, 1770, 
the inhabitants vote that the hogs should not go at large any 
longer. After this there must have been a vast improvement 
in the appearance of the public roads, and of the grounds 
about private dwellings. 

The raising of all kinds of stock was deemed of para- 
mount importance, and served more towards enriching our 
farmers than any other part of labor; since proximity to 
Boston furnished an easy and sure market. Ship-building at 
first, and then brick-making, opened quite a market within 
their own territory ; and we must think that our early farm- 
ers were favorably situated for making a comfortable living. 
Spinning and weaving were almost as much a part of farm- 
labor as the making of butter and cheese ; and the farmer's 
wife and daughters were not a whit behind him in patient 
toil or productive results. Hemp and flax were used for 
clothing ; and the labor of making these into garments for 
workmen was not small. 



SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 19 

For the first hundred years of our settlement, the attention 
of agriculturists must have been directed to clear up lands, 
erect stone walls, ditch marshes, and open roads, while they 
also studied the rotation of crops, and procured new seeds 
from other localities. When Boston became a large town, 
our farmers were prompt in supplying it with milk ; and this 
new business gradually extended till it became one of the 
most lucrative. This led to raising cows on an extensive 
scale ; while this, in its turn, led to raising grass und hay in 
preference to corn. The amount of butter and cheese made in 
Medford has been therefore comparatively small ; the milk 
farms being found more profitable. At the beginning of this 
century, the quantity of milk sold in Boston by our Medford 
farmers was very great ; its price varying from three to five 
cents a quart. The cows were milked by earliest daylight, 
and the vender was in Boston by sunrise. Within the last 
thirty years, the milk has found its market more in Medford ; 
and several large farms have been used to raise hay for the 
horses of Boston. The cultivation of fruits has been a 
cherished object in our town, and many of our farms have 
doubled their value by this means. It is not unusual with 
them to produce one and two hundred barrels of apples, 
besides great varieties of pears, peaches, plums, quinces, and 
the common lesser fruits. 

To Medford belongs the introduction of the celebrated 
"Baldwin Apple." The first tree, producing this delicious 
fruit, grew on the side hill, within two rods of the former 
Woburn line, and about ten rods east of the present road 
which leads from West Medford to the ancient boundary of 
Woburn. It was on the farm occupied by Mr. Thompson, 
forty or fifty rods south of what used to be called " the black- 
horse tavern." At the request of Governor Brooks, the 
writer made a visit to that tree in 1813, and climbed it. It 
was very old and partly decayed, but bore fruit abundantly. 
Around its trunk the woodpeckers had drilled as many as 
five or six circles of holes, not larger than a pea ; and, from 
this most visible peculiarity, the apples were called " Wood- 
pecker Apples." By degrees their name was shortened to 
Peckers ; and, during my youth, they were seldom called by 
any other name. How they came by their present appella- 
tive is this. Young Baldwin, of Woburn, afterwards a 
colonel, and father of Loami, was an intimate friend of young 
Thompson (afterwards Count Rumford) ; and, as lovers of 



20 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

science, they asked permission of Professor Winthrop to 
attend his course of lectures in natural philosophy, at Har- 
vard College. Twice each week, these two thirsty and ambi- 
tious students walked from their homes in Woburn to bring 
back with them from Cambridge the teachings of the learned 
professor. One day, as they were passing by the "Wood- 
pecker Tree," they stopped to contemplate the tempting red 
cheeks on those loaded boughs ; and the result of such con- 
templations was the usual one, — they took and tasted. Sud- 
den and great surprise was the consequence. They instantly 
exclaimed to each other that it was the finest apple they ever 
tasted, Some years after this, Col. Baldwin took several 
scions to a public nursery, and from this circumstance they 
named the apple after him, which name it has since retained. 
In the gale of September, 1815, this parent tree fell; but 
very few parents have left behind so many flourishing and 
beloved children. 

The price of land has steadily increased from 2s. an acre 
in 1635, and 5s. in 1689, to $50 in 1778 and $100 in 1830, 
the same positions taken in all the dates. From the year 
1800 to the present time, favorite house-lots have advanced 
in price so rapidly that $2,000 would be refused for a single 
acre. The fashionable retreat from city to suburban life has 
induced the owners of farms to cut up into house-lots their 
tillage lands, and sell them at public auction ; because no 
farmer can afford to till land that will sell at two and three 
cents the square foot. 

Of the farmers of Medford we have nothing but good to 
report. From the earliest dates to the present time, they have 
stood without a blot. With that temperance which clarifies 
the intellect, with that industry which secures gain, and with 
that economy which saves what is earned, they have presented 
some of the noblest specimens of citizens, neighbors, and 
Christians. Society delights to respect a class of men 
whose investments are in land, water, and sunshine ; and 
whose results are guaranteed by that great and beneficent 
Being who has promised that " seed-time and harvest shall 
not fail." 

NATURAL HISTORY. 

The rocks are mostly primitive granite or sienite, existing 
in large masses. Some are in a state of decay, as, for 



NATURAL HISTORY. 21 

example, the "pasture-hill gravel." This gravel is used 
extensively for garden walks, and its fineness and color make 
it a general favorite. The soil is composed mostly of silex 
and argilla, a mixture favorable to vegetation. 

The flora of Massachusetts would be a fair one of Medford. 
The high hills, rocky pastures, large plains, alluvial intervales, 
deep swamps, and extensive marshes, here give food to almost 
all kinds of trees, plants, shrubs, grasses, and sedges. The 
presence of fresh water and salt, also the mingling of them 
in Mystic River, produce a rich variety of herbaceous plants ; 
and the salt-marsh flowers, though very small, are often very 
beautiful. Of lichens there are great varieties, and some rare 
specimens of the cryptogamous plants. Of the forest-trees, 
we have many of the white and black oak, and some of the 
red and grey. The oldest survivor of this family of quercus 
stands in a lot owned by Mr. Swan, and is about half a mile 
north-east of the meeting-house of the First Parish. It is 
almost disarmed by time ; and it therefore better stood the 
strain of the tornado of August 22, 1851. Its trunk is six 
feet in diameter near the ground ; and it is probably as old as 
Massachusetts Colony. Two varieties of walnut are found 
among us, and " nutting " is yet a cherished pastime with the 
boys in October. The sycamore or plane-tree, commonly 
called buttonwood, abounds here by plantation. Of late 
years it has been suffering from a sort of cholera, which has 
destroyed its first leaves, and rendered its appearance so dis- 
agreeable as to induce most persons to remove it from sight. 
The violence of the disease seems past, and the tree gives 
signs of rejuvenescence. The graceful elms rejoice our eye 
wherever we turn, and our streets will soon be shaded by 
them. The clean, symmetrical rock-maple has come among 
us of late, and seems to thrive like its brother, the white. 
Of the chestnut, we have always known two large trees in 
the woods, but have never heard of more. The locust is 
quite common, and would be an invaluable tree to plant on 
sandy plains in order to enrich them ; but a borer-worm has 
so successfully invaded, maimed, and stinted it that its native 
beauty is gone. The locust is the only tree under which the 
ruminating, animals prefer to graze. Of beach-trees we have 
not many, and what we have are small. So of the black and 
white ash, there is not an abundance. Once there was a good 
supply of the hornbeam ; but that has ceased. Of birch, the 
black, white, and yellow, there are flourishing specimens. 



24 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

close observer might publish regular ornithological bulletins 
of their successive arrivals. Of those that rest with us, the 
first comer in the spring is the bluebird, whose winte^ home 
is in Mexico and Brazil, and whose first song here is a soft, 
exhilarating, oft -repeated warble, uttered with open, quiver- 
ing wings, and with such a jubilant heart as to thrill us with 
delight. Then comes the friendly and social robin. The 
old ones have not gone far south in winter. Some of them 
remain here through that dreary season, with the woodpecker ; 
but the young ones migrate in autumn, sometimes as far as 
Texas. The spring-birds, the warblers, the buntings, finches, 
sparrows, thrushes, come in quick succession to rear their 
young. Snipes, quails, partridges, and woodcocks, come a 
little later. Sandpipers, plovers, teals, and ducks arrive 
among the latest. Medford Pond was a common resort for 
several kinds of wild ducks. About seventy-five years ago, 
a gunner killed thirteen teal at one shot. There are a 
few birds that awaken a deep curiosity, and confer constant 
delight through their long sojourn. The barn swallow, that 
comes from the Gulf of Mexico to spend his summer with 
us, is always greeted with a joyous welcome about the 10th 
of May. The rice-bird of Carolina, called the reed-bird in 
Pennsylvania, and the butter-bird in Cuba, is called here the 
bob-o-lincoln ; and it amuses us greatly. The male, when he 
arrives, is dressed up as showily as a field-officer on parade- 
day, and seems to be quite as happy. Fuddled with animal 
spirits, he appears not to know what to do, and flies and sings 
as if he needed two tongues to utter all his joy. We might 
speak of the little wren, that creeps into any hole under our 
eaves, and there rears its numerous family; the humming- 
bird, that builds so skilfully in our gardens that we never 
find its nest; the yellow-bird, that makes the air resound 
with its love-notes ; the thrush, that seems made to give the 
highest concert-pitch in the melody of the woods. To these 
we might add the night-hawk and the whip-poor-will, and 
many more that spend their summer with us ; but these are 
enough to show that the dwellers in Medford are favored 
each season with the sight and songs of a rich variety of 
birds. "We find the following record made March 8, 1631 : 
" Flocks of wild pigeons this day so thick that they obscure 
the light." 

Another record shows that our fathers preserved the game 
by laws. " Sept. 3, 1634 : There is leave granted (by the 



NATURAL HISTORY. 25 

General Court) to Mr. John Winthrop, jun., to employ his 
Indian to shoot at fowl " (probably in Mystic River). 

The fish most common in our waters are the shad, ale- 
wives, smelt, bass, perch, bream, eel, sucker, tom-cod, pick- 
erel, and shiner. We do not now think of any species of 
fish which frequent either our salt or fresh waters which is 
unfit for food. 

Of insects we have our share, and could well do with 
fewer. If all persons would agree to let the birds live, we 
should have less complaint about destructive insects. The 
cedar or cherry-bird is appointed to keep down the canker- 
worm ; and, where this useful bird is allowed to live unmo- 
lested, those terrible scourges are kept in due subjection. 
The borer, which enters the roots of apple, peach, quince, 
and other trees, and eats his way up in the albunum, is a des- 
troyer of the first rank among us. Of late years, almost 
every different tree, plant, and shrub, appears to have its 
patron insect that devours its blossoms or its fruit. They are 
so numerous and destructive that many persons do not plant 
vines. Fifty or a hundred miles back in the country, these 
insects are comparatively scarce. The voracious bugs most 
complained of here are the squash, yellow, potato, cabbage, 
apple, peach, pear, and rose. The two elements of fire and 
water, all sorts of decoctions, powders, gasses, and fumiga- 
tions, have been resorted to for the extermination of the 
above-named bugs, yet all with slight effects. Our next 
neighbor, forty years ago, raised the most and best melons 
and squashes of the county, by placing a toad, in a small 
house, next to each hill of plants. Every morning these 
hungry hunters would hop forth to their duty ; and their mis- 
sile tongues, glued at the end, were sure to entrap every in- 
sect. Caterpillars and canker-worms have destroyed orchards, 
as grasshoppers have fields ; and the way to prevent their 
ravages is only partially understood. 

Assured that every insect has its place for good assigned 
by the wise Creator, we have only to labor for that true 
science which shall reveal all uses, and thus prevent abuses. 

If we could comprehend all the localities of the globe, 
with all their varieties, we should then see all animals in their 
places, and should thus get a glimpse of the great system of 
correspondencies. 

The keeping and increase of honey-bees was a favorite idea 
with our Medford ancestors ; and a pound of honey bore, for 

4 



26 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

nearly two centuries, the same price as a pound of butter. 
As early as 1640, bees were kept here ; and their gathered 
sweets were among the very choicest delicacies on our ances- 
tral tables. The modes now adopted for taking a portion of 
honey from every hive, and yet leaving enough to feed the 
insect family through the winter, was not known by our 
forefathers. Their mode of securing the honey of their 
bees was the topmost of cruelty and ingratitude. When 
autumn flowers ceased to yield any sweets, the owner of bees 
resolved to devote one hive to destruction ; and his method 
was as follows : — He dug a hole in the ground, near his 
apiary, six inches square and three deep ; and into this hole 
he put brimstone enough to kill all the bees in any hive. 
AVhen night had come, and the innocent family were soundly 
sleeping, the owner sets fire to the brimstone, and then imme- 
diately places the hive over the suffocating fumes, and there 
leaves it till morning, when it is found that not even an elect 
one is delivered from the hell beneath ! We wonder if our 
fathers ever thought of the text, "A merciful man is merci- 
ful to his beast." If bees have souls, some of their execu- 
tioners may hereafter find themselves surrounded by swarms 
of tormentors, and then learn the meaning of another text, 
" Mine enemies compasseth me about like bees." It is cus- 
tomary now to sow the white clover and mignonette for the 
bees, as these plants furnish the richest food. 

We have given these broken notices of the natural history 
of Medford in popular language, and without full scientific 
arrangement, deeming any further catalogue unnecessary. 

We may here express the hope, that the parents and teach- 
ers of coming generations may be wise enough to show their 
children and pupils the harmonies of nature ; those analogies 
and relationships of things which can be seen only by look- 
ing from the divine angle. When the human mind can thus 
" look through nature up to nature's God," it can then com- 
prehend the beauty, power, and sacredness of the Creator's 
approval, " And God saw every thing that he had made ; 
and, behold, it was very good." Would that anything we 
could say might induce the inquisitive minds of future days 
to open the Bible of nature, and read passage after passage 
for the illumination of the mind and the peace of the heart ! 
Nothing learned here need be unlearned hereafter. The 
proper study of natural history will give force to vital Chris- 
tian faith. This study indicates a safe road from the natural 



MEDFORD RECORDS. 



27 



to the spiritual world. The naturalist fixes on facts evolving 
the order of causes and the harmonies of the universe. He 
would see truth's polarity in the smallest feather as in the 
rolling planet. He would thus follow the great and ever- 
expanding order of creation inwards to the point where 
mechanics and geometry are realized in the all-embracing 
laws of Wisdom and Providence ; and where, at last, the 
human mind itself recognizes the very source of life in its 
humiliation before the throne of God. 



CHAPTER II. 



MEDFORD RECORDS. 

The oldest town-records extant are in a book fifteen inches 
long, six wide, and one thick. It is bound in parchment, and 
was tied together by leathern strings. Its first twenty-five or 
thirty pages are gone ; and the first thirty pages of the pre- 
sent volume are all loose and detached from their place, and 
may very easily be lost. The first record is as follows : — 
" The first Monday of February, in the year of our Lord, 
1674. At a meeting of the inhabitants of Meadford^ Mr. 
Nathaniel Wade was chosen constable for the year ensuing." 
The chirography is very good, the sentences properly con- 
structed, and the spelling without error. There are Latin 
quotations in them. Only six pages of Mr. Jonathan Wade's 
records remain. As it was customary to keep the town- 
records in the same hands as long as possible, it is fairly pre- 
sumed that this gentleman was the second, perhaps the first, 
town-clerk. His successor was Mr. Stephen Willis, who re- 
mained in office thirty-six years, exercising a fidelity which 
entitles him to the name of veteran. The first volume of 
records is wholly of his writing, save the little above-men- 
tioned and the seven years of Mr. John Bradstreet. When 
he had finished the volume, he resigned his office ; and we 
regret that the book closes without showing any vote of 
thanks for his long and valuable services. 



28 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

At the end of this first volume of records, there is a cata- 
logue of births, marriages, and deaths, mixed up with county 
rates, &c. The last item in the volume is dated Aug. 20, 
1718, and is the receipt of Rev. Aaron Porter for his salary. 
His signature is in that round and manly style, which, as it 
stands, seems to be a fit guarantee for the truth of all the 
preceding records. 

The second volume is a small folio, bound in parchment. 
It is twelve inches and a half long, eight wide, and one inch 
and a half thick. It begins Feb. 12, 1718, and ends June 
23, 1735. From 1674 to the present time, the town-records 
are unbroken. 

The third volume is a large folio, but sadly torn and 
injured. A proper index of the records is greatly needed. 

The first volume of church records is bound in parchment. 
It is eight inches long, six and a half wide, and half an inch 
thick. It begins May 19, 1712, and ends April 13, 1774. 
It contains all the records during the ministry of Rev. Mr. 
Porter, and that of Rev. Mr. Turell. It records births, bap- 
tisms, and marriages, the doings of the church, the admissions 
to the Lord's supper, &c. ; but it does not notice any deaths. 

The second volume of church records is bound in rough 
leather, and is of the same form and size as the first. It 
contains all the facts belonging to the ministry of Dr. Osgood. 
It begins Sept. 14, 1774, and ends with his last entry, Dec. 
2, 1822, made twelve days before his death. 

Of the later records in town and church (all unbroken 
and accurate), it is not necessary to speak. They are well 
secured in strong books ; but those above mentioned should 
be copied by a careful hand, and bound in uniformity. The 
iron or stone safe, where old manuscripts are kept, should be 
emptied, aired, and well heated once in every six months. 

In early times, one page was sufficient to contain a full 
record of a town-meeting ; but, in our day, the record of a 
March meeting is spread over fifteen or twenty pages. 

The earliest records of the town-treasurer, which are pre- 
served, are those of Capt. Samuel Brooks. For many years, 
this gentleman was placed on the most important committees. 
On the Sunday after his death, July 10, 1768; Mr. Turell 
preached two funeral sermons r from Phil. i. 21. The first 
person in Medford who seemed to have any true regard for 
posterity, in making his records, was Mr. Thomas Seccomb, 
who, for twenty-two years, recorded with admirable particu- 
larity the facts most important for the historian. 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 29" 

■ ■ 

FIRST SETTLEMENT. 






To show properly the first coming of our ancestors to this 
region, it will be necessary to trace their last movements in 
England. This can be done most briefly and satisfactorily 
by giving extracts from the truthful and interesting letter of 
Governor Dudley, dated March 28, 1631, to the Countess 
of Lincoln. The extracts are as follows : — 

" To the Right Honorable, my very good Lady, the Lady Bridget, 

Countess of Lincoln. 

" Madam, — Touching the plantation, which we here have begun, 
it fell out thus: About the year 1627, some friends, being together 
in Lincolnshire, fell into discourse about New England and the 
planting of the gospel there ; and, after some deliberation, we im- 
parted our reasons by letters and messages to some in London and 
the West Country, where it was likewise deliberately thought upon, 
and at length, with often negotiation, so ripened, that, in the year 
1628, we procured a patent from his Majesty for our planting 
between the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River on the south, 
and the river of Merrimack on the north, and three miles on either 
side of those rivers and bays ; as also for the government of those 
who did or should inhabit within that compass. And the same year 
we sent Mr. John Endicott, and some with him, to begin a planta- 
tion ; and to strengthen such as we should find there, which we sent 
thither from Dorchester, and some places adjoining ; from whom, 
the same year, receiving hopeful news, the next year, 1629, we sent 
divers ships over, with about three hundred people, and some cows, 
goats, and horses, many of which arrived safely. 

" These, by their too large commendations of the country and the 
commodities thereof, invited us so strongly to go on, that Mr. Win- 
throp, of Suffolk (who was well known in his own country, and 
well approved here for his piety, liberality, wisdom, and gravity), 
coming in to us, we came to such resolution, that in April, 1630, 
we set sail from Old England with four good ships. And, in May 
following, eight more followed ; two having gone before in February 
and March, and two more following in June and August, besides 
another set out by a private merchant. These seventeen ships 
arrived all safe in New England for the increase of the plantation 
here this year, 1630; but made a long, a troublesome, and costly 
voyage, being all wind-bound long in England, and hindered with 
contrary winds after they set sail, and so scattered with mists and 
tempests, that few of them arrived together. Our four ships, which 
set out in April, arrived here in June and July, where we found the 
Colony in a sad and unexpected condition ; above eighty of them 



30 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

being dead the winter before, and many of those alive weak and 
sick : all the corn and bread among them all hardly sufficient to 
feed them a fortnight. But, bearing these things as we might, we 
began to consult of our place of sitting down ; for Salem, where we 
landed, pleased us not. And, to that purpose, some were sent to 
the Bay to search up the rivers for a convenient place ; who, upon 
their return, reported to have found a good place upon Mistick ; 
but some other of us, seconding these, to approve or dislike of their 
judgment; we found a place liked us better, three leagues up 
Charles Biver, and thereupon unshipped our goods into other 
vessels, and, with much cost and labor, brought them in July to 
Charlestown. But, there receiving advertisements (by some of the 
late arrived ships) from London and Amsterdam of some French 
preparations against us (many of our people brought with us being 
sick of fevers and the scurvy, and we thereby unable to carry up 
our ordnance and baggage so far), we were forced to change coun- 
sel, and for our present shelter to plant dispersedly ; some at 
Charlestown, which standeth on the north side of the mouth of 
Charles Biver; some on the south side thereof, which place we 
named Boston (as we intended to have done the place we first 
resolved on) ; some of us upon Mistick, which we named Meadford ; 
some of us westward on Charles Biver, four miles from Charles- 
town, which place we named Watertown ; others of us two miles 
from Boston, in a place we called Roxbury ; others upon the river 
Sangus between Salem and Charlestown ; and the Western-men 
four miles south from Boston, in a place we named Dorchester. 
They who had health to labor fell to building, wherein many were 
interrupted with sickness, and many died weekly, yea, almost daily. 
" After my brief manner I say this : that if any come hither to 
plant for worldly ends, that can live well at home, he commits an 
error, of which he will soon repent him ; but, if for spiritual, and 
that no particular obstacle hinder his removal, he may find here 
what may well content him, viz., materials to build, fuel to burn, 
ground to plant, seas and rivers to fish in, a pure air to breath in, 
good water to drink till wine or beer can be made ; which, together 
with the cows, hogs, and goats brought hither already, may suffice 
for food : as for fowl and venison, they are dainties here as well as 
in England. For clothes and bedding, they must bring them with 
them, till time and industry produce them here. In a word, we yet 
enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied in the sick- 
ness and mortality of our people. If any godly men, out of reli- 
gious ends, will come over to help us in the good work we are 
about, I think they cannot dispose of themselves nor of their estates 
, more to God's glory, and the furtherance of their own reckoning ; 
but they must not be of the poorer sort yet, for divers years. I am 
now, this 28th March, 1631, sealing my letters. 

" Your Honor's old thankful servant, 

"Thomas Dudley." 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 31 

"The five undertakers were Governor Winthrop, Deputy 
Governor Dudley, Sir Richard SaltonStall, Isaac Johnson, 
Esq., and Mr. Revil." I , 

" The settlement of the patent in N$w England " meant 
the establishment of the government here; ' Hutchinson 
says : " It is evident from the charter; that the original 
design of it was to constitute a corporation, in England, like 
to that of the East India Company, witk powers to settle 
plantations within the limits of the territory, under such 
forms of government and magistracy as should be fit and 
necessary." t 

The decision of the Court respecting the occupancy of 
land, after their arrival, was known to our fathers. At the 
meeting in London, March 10, 1628-9, the Court say : — 

" This day being appointed to take into consideration touching 
the division of the lands in New England, where our first planta- 
tion shall be, it was, after much debate, thought fit to refer this 
business to the Governor (Cradock), and a Committee to be chosen 
to that purpose to assist him ; and whatsoever they shall do therein, 
that to stand for good." 

May 28, 1629 : In the " second general letter," the Court 
say: — 

• " We have further taken into our consideration the fitness and 
conveniency, or rather necessity, of making a divident of land, and 
allotting a proportion to each adventurer ; and, to this purpose, 
have made and confirmed an Act, and sealed the same with our 
common seal." 

In the Charlestown records, 1664, John Greene, giving a 
history of the first comers, says : — 

" Amongst others that arrived at Salem, at their own cost, were 
Ralph Sprague with his brethren Richard and William, who, with 
three or four more, by joint consent and approbation of Mr. John 
Endicott, Governor, did, the same summer of anno 1628 (9), 
undertake a journey from Salem, and travelled the woods above 
twelve miles to the westward, and lighted of a place situate and 
lying on the north side of Charles River, full of Indians, called 
Aberginians. Their old sachem being dead, his eldest son, by the 
English called John Sagamore, was their chief, and a man naturally 
of a gentle and good disposition. . . . They found it was a neck of 
land, generally full of stately timber, as was the main, and the land 
lying on the east side of the river, called Mystick River, from the 
farm Mr. Cradock's servants had planted called Mystick, which 



32 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

this river led up unto ; and, indeed, generally all the country round 
about was an uncouth wilderness, full of timber." 

This party from Salem, passing through Medford, were the 
first European feet that pressed the soil we now tread. 

At the Court of Assistants, held in London, May 21, 1629, 
it was thus ordered : — 

" That two hundred acres of land be by them allotted to each 
adventurer for £50 adventure in the common stock, and so, after 
that rate, and according to that proportion, for more or less, as the 
adventure is, to the intent they may build their houses and improve 
their lands thereon. It is further fit and ordered, that all such as 
go over in person, or send over others at their charge, and are 
adventurers in the common stock, shall have lands (fifty acres) 
allotted unto them for each person they transport to inhabit the 
plantation, as well servants as all others." 

Mr. Cradock, according to this, must have had large grants. 
The lands granted must be improved within three years, or 
forfeited. If a person came here who had no share in the 
common stock of the Company, he could have only fifty 
acres of land, though a head of a family. These small 
grants surprise us till we consider that land in the Old World, 
and especially in England, was scarce and dear. 

Governor Winthrop in his Journal says : " Thursday, 17th 
of June, 1630 : We went to Massachusetts to find out a 
place for our sitting down. We went up My stick River 
about six miles." This was the first exploration of the river, 
carried probably as far as Medford lines ; and the English 
eyes in that boat were the first eyes of settlers that looked 
upon these fields on which we now live. The first settlers 
came from Suffolk, Essex, and Lincolnshire, in England. 

The first grant made by the Court of Assistants of lands 
in Mistick was made to Governor Winthrop in 1631. The 
record says : " Six hundred acres of land, to be set forth by 
metes and bounds, near his house in Mistick, to enjoy to him 
and his heirs for ever." He called his place, after the manner 
of the English noblemen, the " Ten Hills Farm ; " which 
name it still retains. This favorite selection of the chief 
magistrate would naturally turn his thoughts to his fast 
friend, Mathew Cradock, and lead him to induce Mr. Cra- 
dock's men to settle in the neighborhood. Thus we arrive 
at a natural reason for the first coming of shipwrights and 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 



33 



fishermen to this locality. Gov. Winthrop had early settled 
the question for himself, and then immediately gave his 
advice to his . frie*nd's company; for, bj special contract in 
England, the artisans were to work two-thirds of the time 
for the Company, and one-third for Mr. Cradock. This 
arrangement brought the Governor and these workmen very 
near together, and made it the interest and convenience of 
both to become neighbors. We do not see how it could have 
been well otherwise. 

The facts we infer are these. The four ships, Arbella, 
Jewell, Ambrose, and Talbot, which sailed from the Isle of 
Wight, April 8, 1630, brought the first settlers of this region. 
Two of the ships belonged to Mr. Cradock. The Governor 
had the care of Mr. Cradock's men, and, as soon as possible 
after his arrival, searched for the best place wherein to employ 
them. His choice fell on Mistick, probably on the 17th day 
of June ; and so rapidly did our young plantation thrive, that, 
on the 28th of September (only four months afterwards), 
Medford was taxed £3 for the support of military teachers. 

Nov. 30, 1630, another tax of £3 was levied. Thus 
Medford became a part of " London's Plantation in Massa- 
chusetts Bay." Twelve ships had brought, within a year, 
fifteen hundred persons ; and Medford had a large numerical 
share. The running streams of fresh water in our locality 
were a great inducement to English settlers ; for they thought 
such streams indispensable. In 1630 they would n<rt settle 
in Koxbury "because there was no running water." In 
Charlestown (1630) the "people grew discontented for want 
of water ; who generally notioned no water good for a town 
but running springs." Medford, at the earliest period, became 
that anomolous body politic called a town ; creating its own 
government, and electing its own officers. No municipal 
organization, like this, had been witnessed in the old world 
for four centuries ! 

How natural was this growth. By the law, " each adven- 
turer had a right to fifty acres of land." Each one would 
see that this grant was made and secured. Thus the territory 
was divided into manageable lots, and thus farms began. Gov. 
Dudley says: "Some of us planted upon Mistick (1630), 
which we called Meadford." This shows the beginning of ^a 
settlement by other than Mr. Cradock's men. Mr. Cradock's 
men had their rights to land ; and probably each one received 
his due. The grant was not confirmed to Mr. Cradock till 

5 



34 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

1634. The sales of land, after his death, to Edward Collins, 
Jonathan Wade, Richard Russell, Peter Tufts, Thomas 
Brooks, Timothy Wheeler, and others, shows the slow pro- 
gress of the infant settlement. 

With the Governor and Mr. Cradock's men, many, doubt- 
less, were glad to associate themselves ; because something 
like a definite organization already existed among them. The 
elements of power and prosperity seemed to be with them ; ' 
and we can imagine our first settlers beginning their eventful 
experiment with lion hearts and giant hands. We may 
therefore reasonably fix upon June 17, 1630, as the time 
when our Anglo-Saxon ancestors first came to Medford, and 
determined upon the settlement of the town, and thus took 
possession. Gov. Dudley says : " They who had health to 
labor fell to building." This must have been so with all the 
first comers here ; and we can see, in our mind's eye, the 
lofty forest falling by the woodman's axe, and anon taking its 
place in the tents or log-huts, which were the only shelter 
from the fast approaching cold. Here let it be remarked, 
that there is not connected with the first steps of our Med- 
ford plantation the slightest trace of injustice, violence, or 
crime. In the minute accounts of the best historians, there 
is no mention of treachery, idleness, or dissipation. If any 
violation of good neighborhood, or civil law, or gospel 
morality, had existed, we should certainly have heard of it ; 
for every man was emphatically his brother's keeper, and was 
Argos-eyed to detect the offender, and Briarian-handed to 
clutch him. We therefore confidently infer, that they who 
had concluded to make this place their home, were noble 
adventurers, conscientious patriots, and uncompromising 
Puritans ; men whose courage dared to meet the panther and 
the tomahawk, whose benevolence would share with the red 
man its last loaf, and whose piety adored the hand that sent 
sickness and death. We should expect from no one but 
Archbishop Laud the following remark : " These men do but 
begin with the Church, that they might after have the freer 
access to the State." Their hired men and servants were of 
excellent character, with one or two exceptions. Our fathers 
brought with them the Company's directions, dated April 17, 
1629 ; and they complied with the following : " Our earnest 
desire is, that you take special care, in settling these families, 
that the chief in the family (at least some of them) be 
grounded in religion ; whereby, morning and evening family 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 35 

duties may be duly performed, and a watchful eye held over 
all in each family, by one or more in each family to be 
appointed thereto, that so disorders may be prevented, and ill 
weeds nipt before they take too great a head." Their trust 
was the Bible, law-book, and gun. 

The early histories tell of many, in other places, who 
became dissatisfied with their first choice, and moved to more 
promising localities ; but not a word of complaint reaches us 
from the first planters of Medford, and no one, to our 
knowledge, left the plantation. They brought with them the 
animus manendi. 

To show how fast the settlement went on, it is said, under 
date of Oct. 30, 1631, that "the Governor erected a build- 
ing of stone at Mistick." The houses of the first settlers 
were fortified by palisades, thought to be a very necessary 
defence of themselves and their cattle against the nocturnal 
attacks of wild beasts and savages. It was not uncommon 
for a plantation to unite in building a stone or brick house, 
into which they could retire for the night, or escape from the 
Indians. In Medford were built three of these strong brick 
citadels, two of which yet stand. Obliged to depend in great 
measure for subsistence, during the first winter, upon food 
brought from England, there must have been an impatient 
waiting for spring ; and, when it arrived, the whole population 
must have gone to work in clearing whatever open land could 
be used for planting. A writer says ( 1630) : " The scarcity 
of grain was great ; every bushel of wheat-meal, 14s. sterling ; 
every bushel of peas, 10s. ; and not easy to be procured 
either." 

"Aug. 16, 1631 : Six hundred acres of land given to the 
Governor near his house in Mistick." 

The crops of 1631 were most abundant. Having made 
their selection and commenced their settlement, our ancestors 
were not likely to be disturbed by interlopers ; for the Court 
of Assistants, Sept. 7, 1630, passed the following : " It is 
ordered, that no person shall plant in any place within the 
limits of this patent, without leave from the Governor and 
Assistants, or the major part of them." Governor Winthrop 
felt too deep an interest in his near neighbors to allow any 
infringement of this law. The first planting of 'Medford was 
thus singularly auspicious under the supervision of the illus- 
trious chief magistrate, called the " American Nehemiah," 



36 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



and by the more effectual patronage of the richest member of 
the Company. Its numbers and prosperity increased while 
Mr. Cradock lived ; and, when his interest was removed, it 
declined. 

The lands of a town were parcelled out by a committee, 
chosen by the inhabitants. Seven wise and prudent men 
were selected for this purpose. The town mainly directed, 
and then ratified, the work. Sometimes lots decided a case. 

How many of the first settlers became freemen we shall 
not know until the lost records of Medford are discovered. 
We find the following Medford names among the list of free- 
men between 1630 and 1646. How many were settlers here 
we know not. Nathaniel Bishop, Thomas Reeves, John 
Collins, Jonathan Porter, Richard Bishop, Thomas Brooke, 
John Waite, William Manning, John Hall, Richard Francis, 
William Blanchard, Henry Simonds, Zachery Fitch, Richard 
Wade, Richard Bugbe, John Watson, Abraham Newell, 
Henry Brooke, Gamaliel Wayte, Hezekiah Usher, Thomas 
Bradbury, Richard Swan, John Howe, Edmund Angier, 
Thomas Oakes, Hugh Pritchard. If any historian issues 
a writ of replevin, then we must appeal to lost records, or 
give up. 

In the county records we find the following names of men 
represented as at Medford : — 



George Felt . . . . 


1633. 


Thomas Greene . . . 


1659. 


James Noyes . . . 


1634. 


James Pemberton . . . 


1659. 


Richard Berry . . . 


1636. 


Joseph Hills . . . . 


1662. 


Thomas Mayhew . . 


1636. 


Jonathan Wade . . . 


1668. 


Benjamin Crisp . . . 


1636. 


Edward Collins . . . 


1669. 


James Garrett . . . 


1637. 


John Call 


1669. 


John Smith . . . . 


1638. 


Daniel Deane . . . 


1669. 


Richard Cooke . . . 


1640. 


Samuel Hayward . . 


1670. 


Josiah Dawstin . . . 


1641. 


Caleb Brooks . . . 


1672. 


Dix . . . • 


1641. 


Daniel Markham 


1675. 


Ri. Dexter . . . 


. 1644. 


John Whitmore . . 


1678. 


William Sargent 


1648. 


John Greenland . . 


1678. 


James Goodnow . . 


1650. 


Daniel Woodward . 


. 1679. 


John Martin . . . 


1650. 


Isaac Fox .... 


, 1679. 


Edward Convers 


. 1650. 


Stephen Willis . . 


. 1680. 


Goulden Moore . . 


. 1654. 


Thomas Willis . . 


. 1680. 


Robert Burden . . 


. 1655.- 


John Hall .... 


. 1680. 


Richard Russell . . 


. 1656. 


Gersham Swan . . 


. 1684. 


Thos. Shephard . . 


. 1657. 


Joseph Angier . . 


. 1684. 


Thos. Danforth . . 


. 1658. 


John Bradshaw . . 


. 1685. 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 



37 



Stephen Francis . 
Peter Tufts . . 
Jonathan Tufts . 



1G85. 
1G86. 
1690. 



John Tufts . . 
Simon Bradstreet 



1690. 
1695. 



The following owned lands in Medford before 1680: — 



William Dady. 
Rob. Broadick. 
Mrs. Anne Higginson. 
Caleb Hobart. 
John Palmer. 
Nicholas Davidson. 



Increase Nowell. 
Zachary Symmes. 
John Betts. 
Jotham Gibons. 
Richard Stilman. 
Mrs. Mary Eliot. 



The lands of Medford were apportioned to the first settlers 
according to the decision of the Court of May 21, 1629; and 
Josselyn speaks of the town, in 1638, as " a scattered village." 
We suppose that the three " forts," or brick houses, were 
placed conveniently for the protection of all the inhabitants. 
If so, the first settlers occupied the land near the river, on its 
north bank, from the old brick house on Ship Street to the 
west brick house, now standing behind the house of the late 
Governor Brooks. Soon the population stretched westward 
to Mystic Pond ; and, when the inhabitants came to build 
their first meeting-house, they found the central place to be 
" Rock Hill ; " and there they built it. The West End was 
very early settled as the best land for tillage. 

It is natural to ask, by what right our Medford ancestors 
held their farms at first, and what guarantees they had from 
adequate authorities. We have abundant testimony that not 
a foot of land was taken from the Indians by force. Every 
particle was fully and satisfactorily paid for, as we have shown 
elsewhere. Having thus honorably come into possession, the 
question was, how can ownership be legally secured ? That 
question was answered by the following most important order 
of the General Court, under date of April 1, 1634 : — 

" It is ordered, that the constable and four or more of the chief 
inhabitants of every town (to be chosen by all the freemen there, 
at some meeting there), with the advice of some one or more of the 
next Assistants, shall make a survey of the houses backside, corn- 
fields, mowing-ground, and other lands, improved or enclosed, or 
granted by special order of the Court, of every free inhabitant 
there, and shall enter the same in a book (fairly written in words 
at length and not in figures), with the several bounds and quanti- 
ties, by the nearest estimation, and shall deliver a transcript thereof 
into the Court within six months now next ensuing ; and the same, 
so entered and recorded, shall be sufficient assurance to every such 



38 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

free inhabitant, his and their heirs and assigns, of such estate of 
inheritance, or as they shall have in any such houses, lands, or 
frank-tenements." (See History of the Indians.) 

Mr. Wm. Wood, who resided some years in the Colony, 
published, in 1634, the following description of Medford : — 

"'Towards the north-west of this bay is a great creek, upon 
whose shore is situated the village of Medford, a very fertile and 
pleasant place, and fit for more inhabitants than are yet in it." 

We omit the descriptions of Newton and Watertown here 
introduced. The writer then says : — 

" The next town is Mistick, which is three miles from Charles- 
town by land, and a league and a half by water. It is seated by 
the water's side very pleasantly : there are not many houses as yet. 
At the head of this river are great and spacious ponds, whither the 
alewives press to spawn. This being a noted place for that kind of 
fish, the English resort hither to take them. On the west side of 
this river the Governor has a farm, where he keeps most of his 
cattle. On the east side is Mr. Craddock's plantation, where he has 
impaled a park, where he keeps his cattle, till he can store it with 
deer. Here, likewise, he is at charges of building ships. The last 
year, one was upon the stocks of a hundred tons ; that being finished, 
they are to build one twice her burden. Ships, without either bal- 
last or loading, may float down this river ; otherwise, the oyster- 
bank would hinder them which crosseth the channel." 

The Hon. James Savage, in his edition of Winthrop's 
Journal, vol. ii. p. 195, has the following note concerning 
Medford : — 

" Of so flourishing a town as Medford, the settlement of which 
had been made as early as that of any other, except Charlestown, 
in the bay, it is remarkable that the early history is very meagre. 
From several statements of its proportion of the public charges in 
the colony rates, it must be concluded that it was, within the first 
eight years, superior in wealth at different times to Newbury, Ips- 
wich, Hingham, Weymouth, all ancient towns, furnished with regu- 
lar ministers. Yet the number of people was certainly small ; and 
the weight of the tax was probably borne by the property of Go- 
vernor Cradock, there invested for fishing and other purposes. 
When that establishment was withdrawn, I suppose, the town 
languished many years. Simon Bradstreet and James Noyes 
preached. The consequence of their subsequent destitution of the 
best means of religion were very unhappy. The town was poorly 
inhabited, the people much divided, occasionally prosecuted for their 
deficiencies, and long in a miserable condition. A long period of 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 39 

happiness at last arrived in the times of Turell and Osgood ; and, 
for more than a century, Medford has appeared one of the most 
thriving villages in the vicinity of Boston." 

The shadows in this picture, we think, are darker than the 
records will warrant. 

The first settlers came to Medford in June, 1630. The 
grant of land to Mr. Cradock was March 4, 1634. Here, 
therefore, were almost four years in which the first comers 
were gathering and settling before Mr. Cradock came into 
possession. His prosperous company would naturally induce 
others to come here ; and, when they had thus settled, they 
would form a government ; and, when all these things were 
done, it would not be policy for Mr. Cradock to disturb or 
remove such friends. For more than three years they labored 
on the land, and made an agricultural beginning, confirmed 
by Mr. Cradock. In his letter he gives special charge con- 
cerning all such ; that every thing be done for their safety and 
comfort. These were the fathers of Medford. 1633 : An 
historian says of the colonists : " Although they were in 
such great straights for food that many of them ate their 
bread by weight, yet they did not faint in spirit." Gov. 
Winthrop, Sept. 9, 1630, says : " It is enough that we shall 
have heaven, though we pass through hell to it." 

As soon as Gov. Winthrop had settled himself on the Ten- 
Hill Farm, in 1630, he recommended Gov. Cradock's men to 
plant themselves directly opposite him on the north side of 
the river. They did so. A promontory there, jutting 
towards the south into the marsh, was the only safe place 
then to build upon. It is about sixty rods south-east of the 
ancient house now standing on the farm of Messrs. James and 
Isaac Wellington. The marshes stretch away from this pro- 
montory, on every side except the north, where it joins the 
mainland. On its highest point they built the first house 
erected in Medford. This was in July, 1630. There are 
persons now living who knew an old lady, named Blanchard, 
who was born in that house. It was probably a log-house, 
of large dimensions, with a small, deep cellar, having a 
chimney of bricks laid in clay. The cellar was walled up 
with stone, and has been destroyed but a few years. The 
bricks, very similar to those in Gov. Cradock's mansion-house, 
have been in part removed. We have to-day (April 25, 
1855) taken away half a dozen of them as specimens of the 



40 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

first manufactory in Medford. They are very large, very 
badly made, and burned to the hardness of granite. Thus 
fixed, in the most favorable position, Gov. Cradock's men 
passed the first winter ; and were ready to proceed to busi- 
ness in the spring of 1631. 

As we sit in our safe and comfortable homes, how difficult 
is it for us to estimate the perils and labors of our ancestors ! 
How faintly do we appreciate those daily toils by which they 
rescued from the forest the fields we now reap ! How inade- 
quate is our measurement of those multiform deprivations 
through which they secured to us our present abundance ! 
Above all, how imperfect is our appraisement of those anxious 
endeavors to establish the civil institutions by which we are 
protected, and to cement those social relations in which we 
are blessed ! Theirs were the labors of sowing ; ours, the 
joys of harvest. In their life's great picture, poverty and 
suffering were the dark clouds prepared as the background 
for the exhibition of their Christian graces. They had made 
up their minds on the duties of their mission, and they 
" endured as seeing Him who is invisible." They did not 
expect that a natural Virginian bridge would be thrown over 
all the deep gulfs of human life. They meditated, prayed, 
resolved, acted, and conquered. Honor virtutis prcemium. 

We confess to hear with small patience some of the 
fashionable and flippant denunciations of our pilgrim ances- 
tors. They are uttered sometimes by those who should know 
better, and sometimes by those who are sumptuously feeding 
from tables which these ancestors have spread for them. If 
we disregard the early education and conventional habits, the 
peculiar exposures and straightened circumstances of our 
forefathers, it may then be very easy, judging them by our 
rules, to impugn their motives, criticize their plans, ridicule 
their errors, and magnify their faults ; but we think it would 
show our wisdom and magnanimity much better if we should 
do for posterity, in our situations, as much as they did for it 
in theirs. 

To illustrate the peril supposed to exist in the early settle- 
ment, we copy the following order of the General Court. 
Sept. 3, 1635 : " It is agreed, that hereafter no dwelling- 
house shall be built above half a mile from the meeting- 
house, in any new plantation, without leave from the 
Court." 

Our Medford ancestors kept a jealous eye upon new com- 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 41 

ers, and enforced the following order, passed Sept. 6, 1638 : 
" Ordered, That constables shall inform of new comers, if any 
be admitted without license." 

That the Company in London had fixed firmly one point, 
the following extract from their second letter, May 28, 1629, 
will sufficiently prove : " The course we have prescribed of 
keeping a daily register in each family will be a great help 
and remembrance to you and to future posterity, for the 
upholding and continuance of this good act, if once well 
begun and settled, which we heartily wish and desire as afore- 
said." This referred to a spiritual espionage which they had 
resolved should be held over every family. 

It will be interesting here to see how the heirs of Mr. 
Cradock disposed of his large estate, and to trace how it 
came into the hands of Medford settlers. 

Mr. Cradock's widow, Rebecca, married Richard Glover, 
who, March 1, 1644, rented to Edward Collins one-half of 
his land " in Medford in New England ; " viz., " houses, edi- 
fices, buildings, barns, stables, out-houses, lands, tenements, 
meadows, pastures, findings, woods, highways, profits, com- 
modities, and appurtenances." 

Mr. Cradock's widow married her third husband, Rev. 
Benj. Whitchcot, D.D., in 1652. Damaris, Mr. Cradock's 
daughter, married Thomas Andrews, leather-seller, of London. 
Samuel, his brother, was elder of Chapleton, and had three 
sons. By instruments, dated June 2 and Sept. 6, 1652, they 
quit-claim to Mr. Collins "all that messuage, farm, or plan- 
tation, called Meadford in New England " by them owned. 

Aug. 20, 1656 : Mr. Collins, after residing twelve years on 
his farm in Medford, sells to Richard Russell of Charlestown, 
sixteen hundred acres of it, with his mansion-house and other 
buildings. This track was bounded by Mystic River on the 
south, by Charlestown line on the north, by trees standing 
near a brook on the west, and by the farms of Nowell and 
others on the east. " Collins covenants to save Russell 
harmless from all claims from the heirs of Cradock, unto 
whom the said plantation was first granted " by the Court. 
No specification is given of the number of " cattle " or of 
" tenements." At this time, Mr. Collins deeds other portions 
of his farm to other persons. 

May 25, 1661: Richard Russell, who had occupied the 
" mansion-house " five years, sold it, with twelve hundied 
acres of his land, to Jonathan Wade, who lived near the 

6 



42 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

bridge on the south side of the river. After the death of 
Mr. Russell, his heirs sold three hundred and fifty acres to 
Mr. Peter Tufts. The deed is dated April 20, 1677. This 
tract is now the most thickly settled part of Medford. 

The names of early settlers are found in their deeds of 
land. Oct. 20, 1656 : James Garrett, captain of the ship 
" Hope," sells, for £5, to Edward Collins, " forty acres of land 
on the north side of Mistick River, butting on Mistick Pond 
on the west." 

March 13, 1657: Samuel Adams sells "to Ed. Collins 
forty acres of land ; bounded on the east by Zachariah Sym- 
mes, south by Meadford Farm, on the south and west by 
James Garrett." Paid £10. 

Ed. Collins sells to Edward Michelson five and a half acres 
on the highway to the " oyster-bank " and "long meadow." 

March 13, 1675 : Caleb Hobart sells to Ed. Collins, " for 
£660, five hundred acres in Meadford, now in possession of 
Thomas Shepherd, Daniel Markham, Thomas "Willows, 
(Willis) ; bounded by Charlestown northerly, Mistick River 
southerly, Mr. Wade's land easterly, and Brooks's and 
Wheeler's lands westerly." 

March 29, 1675 : Ed. Collins sells « a piece of land to 
Daniel Markham ; bounded by the river on the south, by 
Joshua Brooks on the west and north, and by Caleb Hub- 
bard on the east." 

Jan. 3, 1676 : Ed. Collins sells thirty acres of land to 
George Blanchard. Ed. Collins was now seventy-three years 
old. 

The ' ' Blanchard Farm " was a large one, and is frequently 
mentioned in the records. 

Mr. Nicholas Davison, the mercantile agent of Mr. Cra- 
dock, and who lived near Mr. Wade, petitioned the General 
Court, in the name of Mrs. Cradock, for £676, which she 
said was due to her estate. The Court replied, that " the 
government were never concerned in Mr. Cradock's adven- 
ture," and therefore could not allow any such claim. An- 
other attempt was made in 1670, and met with a similar fate. 
It was not long afterwards that the General Court took into 
consideration the munificent " disbursement of Mr. Cradock 
in planting the Colony," and resolved to show their grateful 
estimate of his worth ; and accordingly gave his widow, then 
Mrs. Whitchcot, one thousand acres of land ; and they relin- 
quished all further rights. 



FIRST SETTLEMENT. 



43 



1 658 : " In answer to a petition of the inhabitants of Mistick, the 
Court, Oct. 19, decided that they should have half proportion with 
the rest of the inhabitants of Charlestown in the commons lately 
divided, unless Charlestown leave the inhabitants of Mistick and 
their lands to Maiden, and the latter accept them." 

We have here the names of the first persons who purchased 
of Mr. Cradock's heirs; viz., Edward Collins, Richard 
Russei, Jonathan Wade, and Peter Tufts. These laid out 
new lots and made many sales ; and, being added to the 
settlers already on the ground, the town may be said to have 
thus had two beginnings. The descendants of Mr. Tufts 
became the most numerous family in Medford; those of 
Mr. Wade were few, but rich : he came over in June, 1632. 
The names of Collins and Russell survived only a short 
period. The first bounds of lots cannot now be traced. 

The Squa Sachem, residing in Medford, Aug. 1, 1637, 
gives lands to Jotham Gibbon, aged four, son of Ed. Gibbon. 
Jotham was born in 1633, and afterwards lived in Medford. 
For the deeds of these lands, as proofs of legal possession, 
see our account of " Indians." 

Edward Collins, who bought so much land of Mr. Cra- 
dock's heirs and resided in Medford a long time, was the first 
specimen of a genuine land-speculator in the Massachusetts 
Colony. Besides his frequent purchases and sales in this 
neighborhood, we find him making investments elsewhere : 
for example, Dec. 10, 1655, he sells to Richard Champney 
five hundred acres in Billerica. In 1660 he sold four hundred 
acres for £404, in West Medford, to Thomas Brooks and 
Timothy Wheeler. These lands, held under the old Indian 
deed, have continued in possession of the Brooks family to 
the present day. # 

Jonathan Wade, who for several years paid the highest tax 
in Medford, bought land on the south of the river, near 
Mystic Bridge. Oct. 2, 1656, he bought four hundred acres 
of Mathew Avery, then living in Ipswich. _ 

The purchasing of land was the most important business 
transacted by our early fathers. As a specimen of their keen 
appetite and steady perseverance, we give a list of purchases 
by Mr. Peter Tufts, chiefly on " Mystic Side : "— 

1664, June 22. Bought of Parmelia Nowell . . . 200 acres. 

n commons, 24 „ 

1674, Sept. 28. ',' ',', Benjamin Bunker . 17 cow-commons. 



44 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1677, April 20. 
1679, Nov. 16. 

1681, Sept, 

1682, Feb. 
» May 



20. 

3. 

18. 

29. 



Dec. 22 



1684, June 8. 


55 


„ Dec. 13. 


55 


1685, June 20. 


55 


1687, April 21. 


55 


1691, Oct. 5. 


55 


1693, Aug. 20. 


55 


1694, May 17. 


55 


55 r> I 8 - 


55 


53 55 31. 


55 


„ Aug. 23. 


55 


1695, April 23. 


55 


1696, Nov. 3. 


55 


„ Dec. 8. 


55 


1697, April 15. 


55 


„ May 10. 


55 


1698, May 30. 


55 


„ Nov. 25. 


55 



Bought of Richard Eussell . 

„ A. Shadwell . . 

„ S. Rowse . . . 

„ John Green . . 

„ Alexander Stewart 

„ M. Dady . . . 

„ L. Hamond . . . 

„ Christopher Goodwin 

„ Isaac Johnson 

„ Wm. Dady 



o 

55 
55 

55 
55 
55 
55 



55 
55 



55 

55 



55 
55 



J. Frost 
„ J. Lynde 
„ T. Crosswell 
„ J. Phipps 
„ W. Dady 
„ J. Newell 
„ John Melvin 
„ John Cary (Walnut 
„ Timothy Goodwin 
„ John Dexter . 
„ John Frothingham 
„ John Blaney . . 



350 acres. 
32 
32 
6 
11 
10 

8J 

16 
1 cow-common. 

3 cow-commons. 

3 acres. 

4 cow-commons. 



55 

55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 



10* acres. 
8| 



Tree 



3 

10* 

2 
10* 

7f 



55 

55 
55 
55 
55 
35 
55 



Hill) 3* 

three pieces. 

9 acres. 

10* 

7 



55 
55 



Including the cow-commons, about 835 acres. 



During this time, they sold as follows : — 



1680, Jan. 
1691, Feb. 
1697, Jan. 



30. 
22. 
10. 



To S. Grove, in Maiden . . 
To Jonathan Tufts, brick-yards 
To Jonathan Wade, in Medford 



20 acres. 

39 

12* 



■>■> 

53 



Mr. Peter Tufts, born in England, 1617, was the father of 
the Tufts family in Medford. He died May 13, 1700, aged 
83. He was buried in Maiden, where his tomb may now be 
Joseph Tufts writes thus of him : — 



seen. 



" But he who sleeps within this sacred grave, 
He felt the tyrant's sting. Deep in his soul 
Sublime religion breathed. The stormy wave 
Here placed him free, beyond a king's control." 

The old histories speak of " God's blessing on the endea- 
vors of the first twenty years. The first settlers had 
" houses, gardens, orchards ; and for plenty, never had the 
land the like ; and all these upon our own charges, no public 
hand reaching out any help." 



• 



MONUMENTS OF EARLY TIMES. 45 

1640 : As emigration ceased at this time, the provisions 
brought from England were very cheap. The fall of prices 
was remarkable ; and Gov. Winthrop says : " This evil was 
very notorious, that most men would buy as cheap as they 
could, and sell as dear. Corn would bring nothing ; a cow, 
which last year cost £20, might now be bought for four or 
five." 



MONUMENTS OF EARLY TIMES. 

That there were many defences raised against the Indians 
and the wild beasts, by the early settlers of Massachusetts, is 
most true ; and that many of them were not needed is also 
true. Not knowing at first how many Indians there were, 
nor what were their feelings towards the white men ; not 
knowing what ferocious wild beasts there were, nor what 
their modes of attack ; not knowing what the winters might 
be, nor the extent of the rainy seasons, — it was natural that 
an isolated, few, and defenceless people, thus situated, should 
take counsel of their fears, and erect more defences than 
were needful. That such a course was anticipated, appears 
from the following provision by the Company in London, 
passed Oct. 16, 1629: Ordered, "That, for the charge of 
fortifications, the Company's joint stock to bear the one half, 
and the planters to defray the other; viz., for ordinance, 
munition, powder, &c. But, for laborers in building of forts, 
&c, all men to be employed in an equal proportion, accord- 
ing to the number of men upon the plantation, and so to con- 
tinue until such fit and necessary works be finished." 

Any plantation, disposed to build a place of retreat and 
defence, was authorized by the above vote to do so, and to 
call upon the Company to pay half the expense. Undoubt- 
edly, Mr. Cradock's house was so built. That forts were 
thought to be necessary appears from the following history of 
Charlestown: "1631: It was concluded to build a fort on the 
hill at Moulton's Point, and mount the six guns left by the 
Company last year upon the beach of this town, for defence, 
in case ships should come up on the back-side of Mistick 
River. The project was abandoned. By sounding the mouth 
of Mistick River, the channel lies so far off from Moulton's 
Point, towards "Winnesemit side, that the erecting a fort on 
the hill will not reach that end." 



• 



46 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Governor Cradock's House. — The old two-story brick house 
in East Medford, on Ship Street, is one of the most precious 
relics of antiquity in New England. That it was built by 
Mr. Cradock soon after the arrival of his company of carpen- 
ters, fishermen, and farmers, will appear from the following 
facts. 

The land on which it stands was given by the General 
Court to Mr. Cradock. When the heirs of Mr. Cra- 
dock gave a deed of their property, June 2, 1652, they 
mentioned houses, barns, and many other buildings, but 
did not so specify these objects as to render them cogni- 
zable by us. There is no deed of this house given by 
any other person. There was no other person that could own 
it. It was on Mr. Cradock's land, and just where his busi- 
ness made it necessary : the conclusion, therefore, is inevitable 
that Mr. Cradock built it. There is every reason to believe 
that it was commenced early iu the spring of 1634. Clay was 
known to abound ; and bricks were made in Salem in 1629. 
Mr. Cradock made such an outlay in money as showed that 
he intended to carry on a large business for a long time, and 
doubtless proposed visiting his extensive plantation. The 
very first necessity in such an enterprise was a sufficient 
house. The sooner it was finished, the better ; and it was 
commenced as soon as the land was granted, which was 
March, 1634. Who, in that day, could afford to build such 
a house but the rich London merchant ? and would he delay 
doing a work which every day showed to be indispensable ? 
He was the only man then who had the funds to build such 
a house, and he was the only man who needed it. Taking all 
these circumstances into consideration, the inference is clear, 
that the " old fort," so called, was Governor Cradock's house, 
built in 16.34. It is an invaluable historical jewel. 

It has been called the " Fort " and the " Garrison House," 
because its walls were so thick, and because it had close out- 
side shutters and port-holes. 

It is certainly well placed for a house of defence. It is on 
land slightly elevated, where no higher land or rocks could be 
used by enemies to assail it, and is so near the river as to 
allow of reinforcements from Boston. Its walls are eighteen 
inches thick. There were heavy iron bars across the two 
large arched windows, which are near the ground, in the 
back of the house ; and there are several fire-proof closets 
within the building. The house stood in an open field for a 












(S) 




MONUMENTS OF EARLY TIMES. 47 

century and a half, and could be approached only by a private 
road through gates. As the outside door was cased with 
iron, it is certain that it was intended to be fire-proof. There 
was one pane of glass, set in iron, placed in the back wall of 
the western chimney, so as to afford a sight of persons com- 
ing from the town. 

It was probably built for retreat and defence ; but some of 
the reasons for calling it a fort are not conclusive. Outside 
shutters were in common use in England at the time above 
mentioned ; and so was it common to ornament houses with 
round or oval openings on each side of the front. These 
ovals are twenty inches by sixteen. Mr. Cradock's company 
was large, and he was very rich, and had told them to build 
whatever houses they needed for shelter and defence. It is 
probable, that, as soon as the spring opened, they began to dig 
the clay, which was abundant in that place ; and very soon 
they had their bricks ready for use. That they should build 
such a house as now stands where their first settlement took 
place, is most natural. The bricks are not English bricks 
either in size, color, or workmanship. They are from eight 
to eight and a half inches long, from four to four and a 
quarter inches wide, and from two and a quarter to two 
and three-quarters thick. They have the color of the bricks 
made afterwards in East Medford. They are hastily made, 
but very well burned. They are not like the English bricks 
of the Old South Church in Boston. The house has 
undergone few changes. Mr. Francis Shedd, who bought it 
about fifty years ago, found the east end so decayed and 
leaky that he took a part of it down and rebuilt it. There 
is a tradition, that in early times Indians were discovered 
lurking around it for several days and nights, and that a skir- 
mish took place between them and the white men ; but we 
have not been able to verify the facts or fix the date. The 
park impaled by Mr. Cradock probably included this house. 
It is undoubtedly one of the oldest buildings in the United 
States ; perhaps the oldest that retains its first form. It has 
always been in use, and, by some of its tenants, has not been 
honored for its age. Its walls are yet strong, and we hope it 
may be allowed to stand for a century to come. We wish 
some rich antiquarian would purchase it, restore to it its 
ancient appendages, and make it a depository for Medford 
antiquities, for an historical library, and a museum of natural 
curiosities. It would then be an honor to our town ; be 



48 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

made perhaps the scene of a noble tragedy by some gifted 
.writer ; and, above all, it would then be a proper monument 
to the memory of Medford's first friend and founder. 

The other old brick house, built probably about the same 
time and by the same persons, was not large. It stood about 
five hundred feet north of Ship Street, and about five hundred 
feet west of Park Street, opposite Mr. Magoun's ship-yard, 
and was taken down many years ago by that gentleman. 

The third house was built by Major Jonathan Wade, who 
died 1689. It was sometimes called, like the other two, a 
" Fort," and is yet standing in good repair, and used as a 
comfortable residence. It is seen from the main street as we 
look up the "Governor's Lane." Its walls are very thick, 
and it is ornamented with what have been called " port-holes." 
"When first built, it was only half its present size : the addi- 
tion was made by Benjamin Hall, Esq., about seventy-five 
years ago. 

That Medford is rich in monuments of its early history is 
a gratifying fact, saddened only by one circumstance, which 
is, that we have lost our first records. We must therefore 
rely on our early records which are not written with ink. 
From Pine Hill, south-westerly, to Purchase Street, there are 
scattered remains of houses, now almost lost in the forest, 
which prove that there were living in this region many fami- 
lies. The cellars are, in some places, so near together as to 
show quite a social neighborhood. When some of the 
" Scotch Irish," who settled Londonderry, N. H., in 1719, 
became dissatisfied with that place, they came into this quar- 
ter ; and many of them settled in Medford. They built some 
of the houses, whose cellars yet remain among us, and intro- 
duced the foot spinning-wheel and the culture of potatoes. 
They were as scrupulous about bounds and limits in these 
wilds as they had been in Scotland ; hence the remarkable 
stone walls which still stand to testify to their industry. 
They were Scotch Presbyterians in religion ; and the Rev. Mr. 
Morehead, of Boston, frequently came to preach to them. 
Some of them migrated to the District of Maine ; and there 
was recently living a General Jacob Auld, of that district, 
who was born about a mile north-east of Medford meeting- 
house, whose father was Irish, and left Londonderry about 
1730. These people kept up many of their European cus- 
toms ; and tradition says, that once, when a young child died 
among them, they held a genuine " Irish wake ; " a conse- 



MONUMENTS OF EARLY TIMES. 



49 



quence of which was so much drunkenness and fighting that 
the civil authorities were obliged to interpose. A few of these 
adventurers remained, and became good citizens ; and among 
their descendants we may name the Fulton, Wier, Faulkner, 
and McClure families. The mother of the late Mrs. Fulton 
was a Wier. 

There was a " Pest-house," so called, erected in 1730, 
near the " Bower," south of Pine Hill, where remains of a 
cellar mark the spot, and near which three graves of those 
who died of the small-pox are still visible. The land was 
owned by John Bishop, Esq. 

These oldest ruins of Medford may not be so interesting as 
those of Delphi or the Roman Forum ; but they serve to show 
that a part of our town, long since covered with wood, was 
formerly the abode of an industrious and thriving population. 

The three brick buildings, mentioned above and called 
forts, having descended to us as specimens of ancestral archi- 
tecture, may well compare with any specimens left in the 
neighboring towns. They show that the style of building 
here was ample and strong ; which style has been fashionable 
ever since. The house of Col. Royal was the most expensive 




Co!. Isaac Royal's House. 



50 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



in Medford. Built by his father, after the model of an 
English nobleman's house in Antigua, it has stood a tempt- 
ing model to three generations. Mr. Thomas Seccomb's 
large brick house, on the north side of the market-place, was 
the first copy of Col. Royal's. Rev. Mr. Turell's house, now 
owned by Jonathan Porter, Esq., is a good example of another 
style ; also the one now owned and occupied by Gorham 
Brooks, Esq. The old dilapidated mansion of the late Dr. 
Simon Tufts, south-east corner of High and Forest Streets, 
is one of the oldest and best specimens of the second fashion 
which prevailed in New England. It has three stories in 
front, and the large roof behind descends so as to allow of only 
one story in the rear. It seems to lean to the south, to offer 




Dr. Simon Tuft's House, 1725. 



its back to the cold storms of the north. One enormous' 
chimney in the centre of the building serves every need, and 
keeps the house steady in high winds. The house so long 
occupied by Gov. Brooks, and in which he died, is a newer 
specimen of the same model. The next fashion, introduced 
as an improvement upon these, was the broken or " gambrel- 
roofed " houses, many of which still remain. See a specimen 
at the end of this volume. These soon gave place to the 
present models, which are importations from distant ages and 
all civilized countries, not excepting Egypt and China. 



ROADS. . 51 



ROADS. 



In the absence of town-records, we are obliged to resort 
to notices incidentally made in deeds, wills, and legislative 
enactments. 

They dignified a cow-path with the name of road. In the 
earliest years of the Medford plantation, there were but few 
people, and they had small occasion to travel. The laying-out 
of roads, therefore, was a secondary consideration, and the 
order of their location oftentimes conjectural in history. 

The Ford, ten rods west of the bridge, meant the place 
where travellers crossed the Mystic River. At first it was 
little used, but afterwards became a popular way, not only for 
the inhabitants of Medford, but for those of the northern 
towns who took loads on horseback to Boston. If the earli- 
est records of the town had been preserved, we should doubt- 
less have found in them some notices of the Ford, and some 
regulations concerning it. 

May 3, 1642 : The General Court say : " It is declared by 
this Court, that the selected town's men have power to lay 
out particular and private ways concerning their own town 
only." The road from the landing, called "No Man's 
Friend " (now Mr. Lapham's ship-yard), was made by 
Charlestown, 1641, to their land north of Medford. The 
road is now called Cross and Fulton Streets. 

To have free access to the river, the great highway, they 
opened private roads for the use of owners of lands, and what 
were called " range-ways " for the free use of the public. 
Many of these are found in Charlestown. One of these was 
Cross Street ; the next, west of it, was at the Ford, and the 
" Governor Lane " was a part of it ; the next was by the 
easterly side of Mr. T. Magoun's house ; the next was east 
of Mr. Turell's house, the lane is yet open ; the next was at 
the Rock Hill, and the old tl Woburn Road " was part of it ; 
the next was above the Lowell Railroad Depot, in High 
Street, and connected with Grove Street, formerly called " the 
road round the woods." These roads to the river, in Med- 
ford, were opened soon after the main thoroughfare. The 
first public road laid out in Medford was Main Street, leading 
from the Ford to Boston ; the second was Salem Street, lead- 
ing to Maiden ; the third was High Street, leading to West 
Cambridge ; the fourth was the road leading to Stoneham. 



52 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



These sufficed for all necessary uses during half a century. 
The road on the south bank of the river (South Street), 
connecting the brick-yards with the wharf and the lighters, 
was early opened. No new public roads were opened after 
these for nearly a hundred years. 

Oct. 5, 1675, the town passes the following vote : To levy 
a fine of ten shillings upon any one who shall take a load of 
earth out of the public road. They also vote, that every 
man may work out his own highway tax, and they fix the 
prices for a day's labor of man, and of a man and team. 

In 1715, Rev. Aaron Porter, Peter Seccomb, Peter Waite, 
Thomas Tufts, and Benjamin Parker, wish some enlargement 
of the road near the bridge, they being residents there ; and 
the town direct a Committee to see about the matter. They 
fix the width of the road at the bridge at two rods and twelve 
feet ; and report the road leading to Woburn wide enough 
already. 

Feb. 20, 1746 : Several gentlemen of Medford agree to 
open a road from the market to " Wade's Bank, or Sandy 
Bank" (Cross Street), and build a bridge over "Gravelly 
Creek." It was done; and made a convenient way to the 
tide-mill. See further account under the head of " Mills." 

Medford Turnpike. — The construction of turnpikes in 
New England made an era in travelling and in speculations. 
Medford had long felt the need of a way to the metropolis 
more convenient for the transportation of heavy loads than 
that over Winter Hill. The first movement for a turnpike 
was made, about the year 1800, by citizens of Medford; and, 
in 1808, Benjamin Hall, John Brooks, Fitch Hall, Ebenezer 
Hall, 2d, and Samuel Buel, petitioned the Legislature for an 
act of incorporation. It was granted March 2d of that year. 
The name was " Medford Turnpike Corporation." The act 
required them to run the road easterly of Winter Hill and 
Plowed Hill. It must be three rods on the upland, and not 
more than six on the marsh. If not completed within three 
years, the grant was to be null and void. The Corporation 
were required to build all extra bridges over Middlesex 
Canal, and keep them and the sluices in repair. They could 
hold real estate to the amount of six thousand dollars. 
Shares in the stock were deemed personal property. Moderate 
tolls have made this the most frequented route to Boston. 
Attempts have several times been made to open it free of 
toll to the public ; and the town of Medford voted their con- 



ROADS. 53 

sent, in 1838, to its conversion to a free road. This was not 
done ; and it yet continues as at the first. On this road, near 
the Charlestown line, the canal, turnpike, and river come 
into such close contact that a coachman, with a long whip, 
touched the waters of the river and canal without leaving his 
seat. 

About the year 1810, the turnpike began to be used as 
a race-course, and races and trotting-matches were quite 
common. 

Andover Turnpike. — This road encountered the usual 
amount of opposition from those who saw it would lead tra- 
vel away from their houses, and those who thought its pas- 
sage through their farms would ruin them. But the saving 
of three miles travel, for loads of ship-timber and country 
produce, was too great a gain of time, space, and money, to 
be wholly abandoned. The first projectors, therefore, perse- 
vered, and subscriptions for stock were opened in 1804, and 
Medford was deeply interested in it. An act of incorpora- 
tion was obtained, June 15, 1805, by Jonathan Porter, 
Joseph Hurd, Nathan Parker, Oliver Holden, and Fitch Hall. 
The route was designated in the act. It was to run from the 
house of John Russell, in Andover, in an easterly direction, 
to the east of Martin's Pond ; nearly on a straight line to the 
house of J. Nichols, in Reading ; thence to Stoneham, by 
the west side of Spot Pond, to the market-place in Medford. 
No time for its construction was named in the legislative 
grant, as the distance was considerable and the country 
hilly. A much longer time and much more money than 
were at first supposed, were required for its completion. 
Not proving a very profitable investment, there were pro- 
positions made, in 1828, for its sale. These were not ac- 
cepted ; and, finally, it was concluded to abandon the road, 
offering it as a free highway to the several towns through 
which it passed. ' In 1803, the town of Medford vote to 
accept and support that part of it which is in Medford, when- 
ever it shall be free of toll. Again, in 1831, the town express 
the wish that it may become a free road, and promise to keep 
their part in good repair. This disposition having been made 
of it, the town has performed its promise ; and to-day, under 
the name of Forest Street, it is one of the most popular locali- 
ties for country seats. 

Medford has always kept its roads in very good condition, 
and the blue gravel found here has made it comparatively 



54 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



easy. May 15, 1758: "Voted £10 for the repair of the 
roads." This is the first vote of the kind on record. Till 
this time, each citizen had worked out his " highway tax " 
by himself or hired man. Straightening and widening roads 
became each year a more imperative duty, since the first ones 
were little better than cow-paths. Seventy years ago began 
conversations on the expediency and importance of opening 
new routes for travel between this and the neighboring vil- 
lages. March 9, 1761 : Many inhabitants of the town peti- 
tioned the Court of Sessions for a road across the marshes at 
" Labor in Vain ; " thus connecting the eastern part of the 
town with the Boston road. The petition was granted, and tne 
Commissioners laid out the road and assessed the damages ; 
but it was concluded not to build it. March 5, 1787, the 
town voted, " That Benjamin Hall, Esq., Gen. John Brooks, 
and Thomas Brooks, Esq., be a Committee to petition the 
Court of Sessions to obtain a new road through a part of 
Col. RoyalFs and Capt. Nicholson's farms." This was never 
obtained. 

Dec. 7, 1795 : Voted to measure the route from Jonathan 
Brooks's Corner to Lexington. This road was not accepted. 
Voted to erect sign-posts through the town. 

Nov. 18, 1801 : " Voted to choose a Committee to oppose 
the opening of a new road to Charlestown." 

May 10, 1802: A Committee was chosen "to lay out a 
road between Medford, Stoneham, and Reading, through the 
woods ; " also to see if a road from the meeting-house to 
Joseph Wyman's was feasible. Purchase Street was opened 
many years after, according to this suggestion. 

Sept. 13, 1802: The Court of Sessions direct, "that the 
road from Jonathan Brooks's Corner to West Cambridge shall 
be widened, Medford and Charlestown paying for the lands 
taken." Labor of a man on the highways, one dollar for 
eight hours ; and two dollars for a team. In 1819, one dollar 
and twenty-five cents, and two dollars and fifty cents. 

May 7, 1804 : The town chose a Committee " to stake out 
the private ways in the town." The intention of the town 
doubtless was, that those avenues, paths, or range-ways, 
through which the public have a right of way, should be 
marked out and recorded. It is very important that these 
rights should be preserved, and as important that they should 
not be unjustly claimed. Settling near a river gave superior 
facilities for transportation in early times ; and, therefore, free 



ROADS. 55 

access to a landing place was important. This accounts for 
so many of these " private " ways in New England. Nov. 9, 
1846 : The town chose a Committee of three, to ascertain 
what riarht of wav exists for the use of " Rock Hill Land- 
ing." The owner of the land denies all rights ; and a suit 
is now pending, amicably to settle the question. 

" As soon as ship-building laid its first keel in Medford, the 
town felt a new impulse, and began to increase in numbers 
by a new ratio. This required new streets; and from 1810 
to the present time they have been constantly opening, either 
by municipal authority or by private experiment. These 
may be seen, and will be preserved, on the map of Medford, 
now just completed. 

The only streets named in the records before 1843 are 
Main, South, Union, High, Purchase, Cross, Ship, Park, 
Salem, Fulton, and Forest. 

It has become a fashion to lay out small townships or dis- 
tricts anywhere within twenty and thirty miles of the capital. 
Private gentlemen open roads through their grounds, mark 
off many acres into small " lots," publish a map of the un- 
born city, and on the appointed day begin to sell the little 
enclosures at public auction. Many people are thus happily 
tempted to desert the city, and live in the more healthful 
country. By these means, the number of public roads has 
been doubled, in some towns, within the last twenty years. 
The town of Medford is not without such enterprise, and 
such results. Edmund T. Hastings, Esq., originated for 
"West Medford a beneficence of this kind in 1845 ; and, in 
conjunction with Mr. Samuel Teel, jun., has opened ten new 
streets ; and, within nine years, there have been erected 
thirty-five dwelling-houses within the enclosures and the 
neighborhood. 

A similar outlay has been made (1852) by a Company 
whose enterprising agent, Mr. T. P. Smith, was promising 
great improvements in buildings and orchards, when death 
suddenly took him in 1854. The streets there are named 
Harvard Avenue ; Bower, Monument, Myrtle, Marian 
Streets ; Gorham Park, Lake Park. 

Mr. John Bishop has clone the same thing on his paternal 
estate north of "Gravelly Bridge," and also on the deep 
forest south of Pine Hill. This last he calls Bellevue. On 
the first area, several dwelling-houses are built ; but on the 
second, none. He has pierced the woods by streets, which 



56 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

allow us to ride at ease among tangled shrubbery and ancient 
oaks, where, as children, we were forbidden to venture, for 
fear of being lost. Some hundred years hence, when this 
lovely spot shall have been occupied with country villas and 
beautiful gardens, the fathers may sit in a pavilion on Pine 
Hill, and tell their children how the rich fields below them 
were an impenetrable forest. 

A similar show of diagrams is presented by Mr. Bishop on 
his lands east of the " Fountain House ; " and, we trust, cor- 
responding good results will hereafter be experienced. This 
was done July 13, 1853 ; and, in honor of the Indian chief, 
he has called it " Sagamore Vale." In former times, they 
built houses, and then laid out roads ; now, they lay out 
roads, and then build houses. 

The large farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres, be- 
longing to Messrs. James and Isaac Wellington, situated on 
the eastern border of Medford, was divided into lots and 
parallel streets, Xov. 1, 1854. Its nearness to Boston, and 
the facilities of travel by railroad, offer tempting situations 
for suburban residences. 

In 1854, twenty small houses were built on one street in 
East Medford ; ten on one side, and ten on the other. They 
are all of the same size and form, equally distant, very near 
together ; and each house is opposite a space left open on the 
other side of the street. The settlement is called Williams- 
burg, after the builder and owner of the houses. 

The " Edgeworth Company," in Maiden, on the eastern 
border of Medford, has commenced a promising settlement. 

From earliest times, the town chose annually a " Surveyor 
of Highways," whose duty it was to superintend the repairs of 
the public roads. He had full power to decide where and to 
what extent repairs should be made. As population and 
streets increased, several surveyors became necessary ; and 
they received compensation for their time and labor. After 
the brick Alms House was built in West Medford, near the 
Lowell Railroad Depot (1812j, Isaac Brooks, Esq., who had 
taken the deepest interest in the matter, proposed to employ 
the male paupers in repairing the highways. This plan was 
adopted ; and, under the guidance of a general surveyor, the 
keeper of the Alms House went forth every day with his 
picked men and horse-cart. As this procedure converted the 
Alms House from a place of ease to a place of labor, it had 
the magical effect of thinning the number of male occupants. 



ROADS. 57 

The annual cost for repairing the roads had been from 
two hundred and fifty to four hundred and fifty dollars. 

In 1814, the town opposed the opening of a road from the 
Charlestown Road, at the foot of Winter Hill, to Cragie's 
Bridge in East Cambridge. A long and warm debate con- 
cerning this project prevailed for a considerable time ; but, at 
length, the patrons of the measure succeeded, and the road 
was opened. For twenty years, it proved to be, what the 
town foretold it would be, an almost unused highway. Even 
now, it diverts very little travel from the better and shorter 
routes through Charlestown. 

In 1818, the town voted to expend one hundred dollars in 
repairing the roads; in 1831, voted three hundred dollars; 
in 1840, voted one thousand dollars ; in 1850, voted fifteen 
hundred dollars. Appended to the vote of 1840 was this 
prohibition : None but inhabitants shall be allowed to work 
in repairing the roads ; and each inhabitant .shall have the 
same right and opportunity of working out his highway 
tax. 

In 1831, the Lowell Railroad was laid out through Med- 
ford, creating no small opposition in some quarters, and as 
warm advocacy in others. Its charter is dated June 5, 1830, 
and bears the names of John F. Loring, Lemuel Pope, Isaac 
P. Davis, Kirk Boot, Patrick T. Jackson, Geo. W. Lyman, 
and Daniel P. Parker. The number of directors was five ; 
the number of shares, one thousand. The act provided, 
that no other railroad should, within thirty years, be author- 
ized leading to any place within five miles of the northern 
termination of the road. Its stock has, at times, maintained 
a higher premium than that of any other company ; and the 
road has caused fewer deaths than any one so long and so 
much travelled. 

1832 : The town chose a Committee to sell the Alms 
House and lands adjoining to the corporation of the railroad ; 
and also to see that said road be no obstruction to travel. 

The construction of this road through- Medford has added 
vastly to our wealth and comfort. It has doubled the price 
of land upon its borders. It has induced the building of the 
new houses in West Medford, and promises to make this 
beautiful portion of the town a rival in population to the 
older East. For the small fare of fifteen cents, it presents 
each day a dozen opportunities for going to Boston, and as 
many for returning ; and occupies about fifteen minutes in 



58 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



the passage. Rival roads have lately deprived it of some of 
its former exclusive advantages. This was the first railroad 
made in New England for public travel. Its cost was enor- 
mous, and its rails were all laid on granite blocks. These 
have been found to wear the machinery of the locomotives 
and cars so rapidly as to induce a substitution of wooden 
sleepers. The longest freight-train, drawn by one engine, 
that has passed loaded over the road, numbered one hundred 
and sixty-three baggage cars. 

The " Medford Branch Railroad " was incorporated March 
7, 1845 ; and the names of the petitioners are James O. Cur- 
tis, Henry L. Stearns, Jos. Manning, jun., Daniel Lawrence, 
Nath. H. Bishop, and Andrew Blanchard, jun. Jan. 22, 1845 : 
The town passed the following : " Resolved, as the sense of 
the people of Medford, that it is expedient that the prayer of 
the petitioners for a railroad to connect Medford with Boston 
be granted." 

By the act of incorporation, " the capital stock shall not 
consist of more than one thousand shares at one hundred 
dollars each." The Act further stated, "If the said railroad 
shall not be constructed within two years from the passage of 
this act, then the same shall be void." It was readily finished, 
and proves to be a most productive and convenient road. 

The " Stoneham Branch Railroad Company " was incorpo- 
rated May 15, 1851 ; Thaddeus Richardson, Amasa Farrier, 
and William Young, named as the corporation. Section 7th 
of the Act has the following condition : " The construction 
of the said road shall not be commenced until the capital 
named in the charter shall have been subscribed by responsi- 
ble parties, and twenty per cent paid into the treasury of the 
said company." This road was commenced and graded from 
Stoneham into the bounds of Medford, where its further 
construction suddenly stopped. That its proposed course 
through Medford may be changed, and the whole road then 
completed, is probable. 

The streets in Medford are, in most places, furnished with 
sidewalks and ornamented with elm-trees. It is cheering to 
see the spaces at the meeting of some roads occupied with 
trees. The delta of four hundred feet at the meeting of 
Grove and High Streets, in West Medford, was the first 
example. The trees were planted, and the fences made and 
maintained, by Hon. Peter C. Brooks. The town granted him 
permission, Nov. 22, 1822. A legacy of five hundred dollars 



BRIDGES. 59 

from Turell Tufts, Esq., was expended, according to his 
directions, in planting ornamental trees on the roadsides. 
May this growing charity of a good friend of Medford be 
imitated by many hereafter ! Others, from motives of taste 
and profit, have adorned our highways with forest-trees, 
whose summer shade will soon shelter the fashionable lady 
in her morning promenade, and the weary animals in their 
noonday labor. 

Streets in Medford have received the following names : 
High, Main, Forest, Salem, Ashland, Oakland, Washington, 
Fountain, Fulton, Court, Cross, Park, Pleasant, Purchase, 
South, Middlesex, "Water, Ship, Canal, Cherry, Webster, 
Almont, Cottage, Ash, Oak, Chestnut, Grove, Garden, Paris, 
Chaplin, Mystic, Brooks, Allston, Vernon, Irving, Auburn, 
Prescott, West, Laurel. 

Appropriation for highways from Feb. 1, 1850, to 

Feb. 1, 1851 $1,500.00 

Appropriation for highways from Feb. 15, 1854, to 

Feb. 15, 1855 $1,800.00 

Expenses of street lamps for the same times .... $323.75 



BRIDGES. 

The bridge across Mystic River, in the centre of Medford, 
is the first that was built over this stream. This primitive 
structure was exceedingly rude, and dangerously frail. 
March 4, 1634: The General Court, "holden at Newton," 
make a grant of much land in Medford, "on the north side 
of Mystic River," to Mr. Mathew Cradock, merchant in Lon- 
don. This distinguished friend of the pilgrims never came to 
this country ; but his agent and representative, Mr. Nicholas 
Davison, conducted an extensive fishing business in Medford, 
on his account, and probably was the person who first sug- 
gested the erection of a bridge. 

Mr. Cradock's agent (Davison) commenced the building of 
a bridge over the river in 1638. The place selected was that 
where the present bridge stands ; that being the most easterly 
spot, where the marshes, on the south side of the river, 
would allow safe roads to it. The builder exacted toll. It 
was the first toll-bridge in New England. The town prose- 
cuted the builder for his " hindrance of boats," and for " tax- 
ing cattle that go over that bridge." The bridge was long, 



60 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

because the banks of the river at that place were low ; and 
on both sides was swamp. 

In 1639, we have the following record on the subject of a 
bridge : " At the General Court, Boston, the 22d of 3 mo. 
(called May), 1639, Mr. Mathew Cradock is freed of rates 
to the county, by agreement of the Court, for the year ensu- 
ing from this day, in regard of his charge in building the 
bridge ; and the county is to finish it at the charge of the 
public. Mr. Davison and Lieut. Sprague to see it done, and 
to bring in their bill of charges." This record further 
proves that a bridge had been commenced at this early day 
by Mr. Cradock ; that it was not finished by him ; that he 
received exemption from taxes by a vote of the General 
Court, because the bridge was so built and so placed as to be 
a public benefit ; and, finally, it proves that the bridge was 
finished at this time, and at the expense of the Province. 
Four years after this, we have the following record : " Gene- 
ral Court, May 10, 1643 : It is ordered Mr. Tomlins should 
have £22 to repair Mistick Bridge, to make it strong and suf- 
ficient, for which sum of £22 he hath undertaken it." This 
extract proves that the bridge very soon needed repairing, 
and that about one hundred dollars were necessary for the 
work. The bridge therefore must have been important, as a 
public way, to have received such large attention from the 
General Court. The frailty of the structure must have been 
remarkable ; for, only three years passed before it again de- 
manded the care of the General Court. The record is as 
follows : " At a General Court, at Boston, for Elections, the 
6th of the 3 mo. (May), 1646, Ralph Sprague and Edward 
Converse appointed to view the bridge at Mistick, and what 
charge they conceive meet to be presently expended for the 
making it sufficient, and prevent the ruin thereof, or by fur- 
ther delay to endanger it, by agreeing with workmen for the 
complete repairing thereof, and to make their return to Mr. 
Willoughby and Mr. Burrell, and what they shall do herein 
to be satisfied out of the treasury." 

These frequent draughts on the provincial treasury began 
to alarm the government, and the following record shows the 
steps taken accordingly : " At a Session of the General Court, 
the First month, 1648 : It was voted by the whole Court, 
that Mistick Bridge should be made and maintained by the 
county at the public charge." This movement created 
alarm through Medford, because strong fears were entertained 



BRIDGES. 61 

that the county would let the bridge go to ruin. No penalty 
for non-performance of duty was imposed. Mr. Cradock's 
agent, therefore, sent his petition, the nature of x Avhich can be 
ascertained only by the following reply : — " General Court, 
28th of the 7th mo., 1648 : In answer to the petition of 
Nic. Davison, in the behalf of Mr. Cradock, for the repairing 
and maintaining of Mistick Bridge by the county, the said 
Mr. Davison being sent for, the evidence he can give being 
heard and examined with the records of the General Court, 
it appears that the General Court did engage for an exemp- 
tion from rates for that year, and finishing the same on their 
own charges, which accordingly hath been done." 

We may infer from these proceedings, that the bridge was 
very likely to be out of repair, and that Mr. Cradock's work- 
men and business required it to be strong and safe. Five 
years roll away, and the county appears to have done little 
for the safety of the bridge. The indefatigable Mr. Davison, 
urged on doubtless by Mr. Cradock, appeals once more to 
the supreme authority. That the General Court should now 
feel determined to put an end to this standing annoyance, we 
cannot wonder. Probably by consultation with Mr. Davison, 
they came to the following financial conclusion : " 28th of 3d 
mo., 1653 : Upon a petition presented by Mr. Nicholas Davi- 
son, in the behalf of Mr. Cradock, in reference to Mistick 
Bridge, it is ordered by this Court, and hereby declared, that, 
if any person or persons shall appear that will engage suffi- 
ciently to build, repair, and maintain the bridge at Mistick 
at his or their proper cost and charges, it shall be lawful, and 
all and every such person or persons, so engaging, are hereby 
authorized, and have full power, to ask, require, and receive 
of every single person, passing over the said bridge, one 
penny, and for every horse and man sixpence ; for every 
beast twopence, and for every cart one shilling ; and this to 
continue so long as the bridge shall be sufficiently maintained, 
as aforesaid." This order of Court proves to us, that the 
county had not kept the bridge in repair ; that Mr. Cradock 
probably used it much in transporting heavy loads ; and, 
finally, that the bridge was at first constructed to allow the 
passage of heavy burdens in ox-teams. 

Put all these legislative orders together, and the inferences 
drawn from them, and we have a very satisfactory history of 
the first bridge in Medford. We can see, in our mind's eye, 
a rude structure, sufficiently wide to allow but one cart to 



62 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

pass at the same time, and so poorly put together as to be 
endangered by every high tide and by floating ice. We can 
furthermore see that the bridge was placed where the present 
one stands ; and, lastly, we may say, that to Mr. Mathew 
Cradock, of London, our fathers were indebted for this great 
convenience. 

The next step of interest, relating to Mystic Bridge, was 
the appointment of a Committee by the County Court to de- 
cide what bridges should be built and maintained. They 
report as follows, May 15, 1657 : — 

"In obedience to an order of the County Court, held at Charles- 
town, Dec. 30, 1656, we, whose names are underwritten, meeting at 
Cambridge, March 2, 1657, to weigh and consider what bridges are 
fittest to be built and maintained at the county's charge, after due 
examination of things, we find the bridges of this county, already 
erected and to be erected (as we conceive), to exceed for number 
and charge all the other counties within this Colony ; and, withal, 
considering the great necessity of bringing in all that are alike use- 
ful, which would amount to such a charge that we question the 
county's ability to maintain and bear the charge thereof; and hav- 
ing some experimental knowledge that towns will be more cautious 
in laying out their own costs than the counties, both in building and 
repairing, do therefore conclude, according to our weak apprehen- 
sions, that as few bridges should be built at the county's charge as pos- 
sibly may be ; only those two bridges, i. e., at Billerica and Mistick, to 
be finished at the county's charge, and for time to come maintained in 
repair by the towns and precincts in which they are, and those towns 
that are forced to build bridges more for the passage of others than 
their own benefit may have help from the county, by this honored 
Court's appointment ; if their burden in building bridges exceed their 
sister towns, and in case any town shall propound to this honored 
Court for erecting of bridges contrary to what is here present, — we 
are ready to give further account to this Court why the county should 
be no further charged that way. And, whereas it appears to us 
that Concord, Sudbury, and Lancaster are at a greater charge in 
bridges for the public use of the country than some other of their 
neighbor towns, we conceive it meet that they be abated as follow- 
eth : Concord and Lancaster all their rates, whether paid or to be 
paid, to those two bridges above named, and Sudbury the one-half of 
their rates to the said bridges, and their abatements to be satisfied 
to the undertakers of those bridges, or repaid again to such as have 
paid, as followeth : i. e., Chelmsford, two pounds ; Billerica, one 
pound ; Charlestown, ten pounds ; Meadford, two pounds ; and what 
these shall fall short of satisfying those above-mentioned abatements, 
made up out of the county stock, either fines or otherwise, as the 
Court shall please to determine. 



BRIDGES. 63 

"Provided always, we think it meet that no stop be made of any 
the above-said abatement, so as to interfere or obstruct the perform- 
ing of the present engagement respecting those bridges. 



" Ralfe Mousall. 
Hugh Mason. 
Edward Goffe. 
Joseph Wheeler. 
Thomas Noyes. 



Edward Johnson. 
William Condrey. 
Abrabam Hill. 
Jno. Prescott. 
John Parker." 



"April 7, 1657: This return being made to the Court, it was 
accepted by the Court, who order that this return of the Committee 
shall be presented to the next General Court, by the Clerk of the 
Court, for their confirmation and settling thereof. 

"Thomas Danforth, 

" Recorder." 

This report of the Committee was accepted, and it placed 
the question of the bridges on its true basis. 

The plan of taxing the county, or the towns that use it, 
for the support of Medford Bridge, was productive of con- 
stant trouble to all concerned, and led to lingering lawsuits. 
It being the only bridge over Mystic River, it must be used 
by many travellers from Salem, Saugus, Andover, Reading, 
&c. Woburn was obliged by law to help support it, and 
they of that town constantly complained and objected. 

Woburn records, of Oct. 28, 1690, say : " Serg. Mathew 
Johnson, Serg. John Pierce, chosen to meet the Court's 
Committee, and treat with them about Mistick Bridge." The 
same records, of May, 1691, say: "The selectmen met with 
Maiden men and Reading men to consult about defending 
ourselves at the County Court ; being warned to appear there 
about Mistick Bridge." 

1693 : Woburn grew very emphatic, and said : " Woburn 
was not concerned in the presentment of Mistick Bridge ; 
neither would they do any thing in order to the repairing 
thereof, except by law they were forced thereto." In 1694, 
Woburn was again cited by order of Court, and threatened 
with a fine of £5 ; yet was inflexible, and put itself in the 
posture of defence. The question was ti;ied at Boston, and, 
after able attorneys had spoken on both sides, the' Court 
decide as follows : — 

" Middlesex, ss. — At the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, 
holden at Chariestown, Jan. 23, 1694. 



64 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" Whereas, there was an order of the General Court, in the year 
1691, referring to the settlement of Mistick Bridge to the County 
Court of Middlesex, the said Court ordering the repairing of said 
bridge to be by the respective towns of Charlestown, Woburn, 
Maiden, Reading, and Medford, according to their wonted manner, 
till the Court make further provisions, and the defects of said 
bridge having been presented to this Court before the late law 
respecting bridges, this Coui't order that the said respective towns 
do forthwith make sufficient repairs of the said defect of said bridge, 
upon pains and penalty of £5 fine, to their Majesties for their 
respective defaults of each of the said towns ; and then to make 
return of their doings therein to the next General Sessions of the 
Peace for Middlesex ; and that for the future it shall be left to the 
determination of the law." 



This decision was not palatable to the defendants. Med- 
ford's action in the premises is recorded as follows : Voted, 
in a "general town-meeting, January 11, 1694, that the per- 
sons above said are to attend the premises, from Court to Court, 
until there shall be a final determination and settlement of 
Mistick Bridge." This Committee performed their duty 
faithfully, and the result is recorded above ; but, in 1698, 
Medford was again presented to the Court for defect in the 
bridge. On the 7th of March, the town came together, and 
voted " to empower a lawyer referring to answer a present- 
ment for defect in Mistick Bridge." March 28, 1698 : "Voted 
to empower Mr. John Leverett for the further defending the 
town referring to Mistick Bridge, in case there be need ; and 
said town to pay lawyer's charges and other necessary charges 
that may arise in defence of said bridge, as above said." In 
connection with this case, the town resolve, that, if a man 
attended Court for sixty days, he should be paid £3 ; and for 
any less term, Is. 6d. per day. The bridge seemed to have 
a wonderful aptitude in getting out of repair ; and, as Med- 
ford was liable to be indicted for the fact, the bridge became 
the standing vexation of the town. April S, 1702, the 
inhabitants appoint three of their number as a Committee to 
treat with Woburn, Reading, and Maiden, on the repairing 
and maintaining said bridge. Nine years bring up again 
the same question; and, May 24, 1711, the town voted "to 
desire the selectmen of the town to procure such records 
of Court or Courts as may give information of the division of 
Mistick Bridge to the several neighboring towns for the 
repair of the same." This vote, while it shows us there had 



BRIDGES. 65 

been a legal division of the bridge liabilities, shows also that 
the contiguous towns had not done their duty in the pre- 
mises. Sept. 21, 1714, a rate of £15 was assessed by the se- 
lectmen " for Mistick Bridge." The bridge was now rebuilt ; 
but the adjoining towns refused to pay their shares, and Med- 
ford voted to carry the question before the " General Sessions 
of the Peace," sitting at Charlestown. The object of this 
appeal was to show from records that there was no valid 
reason for the refusal of the neighboring towns in bearing 
their share of the expense of rebuilding. The Committee 
chosen to prosecute the whole matter to its final settlement 
were Deacon Thomas Willis, Ensign John Bradshaw, and 
Mr. Ebenezer Brooks. 

The appeal of Medford was just, and it was met by " the 
Court of General Sessions of the Peace," sitting at Charles- 
town, Feb. 16, 1715, thus : " The Court apportion the charges 
of rebuilding Mistick Bridge as follows : Charlestown, £64. 
14s. ; Woburn, Maiden, Reading, and Medford, each £17. 
12s. 3d. ; total, £135. 3s." To this award Woburn, Maiden, 
and Reading objected, and therefore appealed. The conse- 
quence was a legal trial of the case; and Medford, July 11, 
1715, passed the following: "Voted to empower Deacon 
Thomas Willis, Ensign John Bradshaw, and Mr. Ebenezer 
Brooks, as a Committee to defend the town against any 
suits in law having reference to the rebuilding of Mistic 
Bridge." The decision was in favor of Medford. 

When the tract on the south of the river became annexed 
to Medford from Charlestown in 1754, the town says : "April 
30, 1754 : The southerly half of Mistic Bridge, and the causey 
adjoining, by a resolve of the General Assembly, is now 
within the limits of Medford." "May 8, 1754: Samuel 
Brooks, Esq., Lieut. Stephen Hall, jun., and Jos. Tufts, were 
chosen a Committee to manage the affairs relating to the 
southerly half of the Mistic Bridge, and the causey adjoin- 
ing thereto." 

The increase of travel over this bridge rendered it liable 
to frequent repairs, and Medford became sole owner of it. 
The annexation, in 1754, of that part of Charlestown which 
lies near the south bank of Mystic River, released that town 
from all obligations connected with the " Great Bridge," as it 
was called. Accordingly, July 25, 1757, we find the follow 
ing record: "Voted, that Samuel Brooks. Esq., Stephen 
Hall, Esq., and Capt. Caleb Brooks, be a Committee to agree 

9 



66 HISTORY OF MEDF011D. 

with suitable persons to rebuild the south side of Medford 
great bridge with wood or stone ; and that said Committee 
empower persons to wharf out on each side of said bridge." 

May 13, 1761: "Voted to treat with Woburn, Reading, 
and Maiden, concerning Medford Bridge, and acquit any of 
them that shall comply from all further charge ; and also to 
treat with the General Court, if there be reason." 

Woburn, as we have seen, always contended most stoutly, 
but ineffectually, against paying for the support of the bridge, 
because, as she maintained, her people did not use it. They 
sometimes went to Boston through Charlestown (now Somer- 
ville). So troublesome grew this litigation, that Woburn 
paid to Medford a certain sum to be released from all further 
liabilities. 

The next movement for this important passway, worthy of 
record, was in 1789, when it was proposed to widen the 
bridge and pave the market-place. The plan devised for 
paying the expenses was a common one in that day ; it was 
by a lottery; and, May 11, the town petitioned the General 
Court to grant them a lottery for these purposes. Our fath- 
ers did not think that such a lottery was doing evil that good 
may come. The petition was not granted. 

April 2, 1804 : On this day, the Committee, chosen at a 
previous meeting to inquire into the necessity and expediency 
of building a new bridge, report that it is expedient that a 
new bridge be built ; and they recommend that it be thirty 
feet wide, and also that it have a draw. They further say it 
should have " four piers of white oak timber of seven spoils 
each ; the two outside piers to be set twenty feet from each 
other. To have an arch in the centre of twenty-six feet in 
the clear, and a draw the width of the arch." There were 
two hundred and eighty dollars afterwards subscribed by 
private persons, as a donation, to help forward the work. 
The estimated expense, without a draw, was one thousand 
dollars. This proposition was received with favor ; and the 
increasing business on the river required this width, and also 
a draw ; but it was not immediately adopted. Various plans 
for meeting the expenses of the draw were proposed, but 
without much success, till a resolution was taken by the town, 
in 1808, to do the whole thoroughly. It was done ; and a 
toll of twelve and a half cents was charged upon every vessel 
that passed the draw. The next year, May 20, 1809, we find 
the following vote : " Mr. Timothy Dexter to demand of 



BRIDGES. 67 

every lighter, passing through the draw, ten cents each time, 
and twenty cents for larger vessels." 

This bridge answered all its intended purposes till 1829, 
when the question of building a new draw came up. The 
matter was referred to a Committee, who report, May 4, as 
follows : " That the town is under no legal obligation to 
make or maintain a drawbridge, but may build without a 
draw, as heretofore." Nevertheless, the final result was 
a vote to build a new bridge, with a draw. It was so built, 
accordingly; but the draw was so narrow that, in 1834, the 
town voted to widen the draw, whenever the selectmen shall 
judge proper. This was done. The idea that ships could 
be built above the bridge became common ; and, as ships of 
the largest size became fashionable, it was found that the 
draw was not sufficiently wide to allow the transit of one 
then on the stocks. The petition for widening was granted ; 
and, in 1852, it assumed the form it now wears. This bridge, 
among the earliest in the country, and among the most im- 
portant in the Colony, has had an eventful history. Seldom, 
if ever, has there been so much legislation in the General 
Court about seventy -five feet of bridge ; and, certainly, no 
town has talked and voted and petitioned and litigated so 
much about such a matter. It was part of a great thorough- 
fare, and was second to none in importance to all travellers, 
from the east and north, who were going to Boston. For 
one hundred and fifty years, it was on the nearest land-route 
for all the travel of Maine and New Hampshire ; and, within 
the memory of some now living, the farmers of New Hamp- 
shire, who brought large loads of pork and grain in pungs to 
Boston, passed over that bridge in companies of five, ten, 
fifteen, and twenty within the months of January and Febru- 
ary. Perhaps the strangest fact connected with it is, that it 
is still the only bridge for common highway travel now 
(1855) across the Mystic River in Medford ! That another 
bridge, for free public travel, is imperiously demanded by the 
growing wants of the town, is generally acceded ; and pro- 
bably such a bridge will soon be built. 

The other bridges of the town were of minor moment ; 
though that at the Wear cost the town much money, and 
some trouble. March 6, 1699 : " Put to vote, whether the 
town of Medford will give Mr. John Johnson three pounds 
towards the building a sufficient horse-bridge over the Wears ; 
said bridge being railed on each side, and the said bridge 



68 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

raised so high as there may be a fit passage under said bridge 
for boats and rafts up and down said river. This was voted 
in the affirmative." This is the first mention of a bridge of 
this kind at the Wear. The dwellers in the western parts of 
Charlestown and Cambridge came so often to Medford that 
they petitioned for the erectiqn of a bridge " at the Wears." 
As Medford would be obliged to pay for half of it, a protest 
by the town was made against the proceeding, and the two 
arguments used were, first, that the ford was sufficiently easy 
and convenient ; and, second, that Medford people never, or 
seldom, travelled that way. The building was deferred ; but, 
in 1722, the grand jury present the town of Medford for not 
maintaining a bridge across the Wears. Aug. 17, the town 
"put to vote whether the town will choose a Committee to 
answer a presentment by the grand jury of the want of a 
bridge over the Wear ; said answer to be made at Concord 
Court next. Voted in the affirmative." 

The next important action of the town was May 29, 1746. 
They petition Gov. Shirley and the General Court to order a 
bridge built over the Wears, and then apportion the expense 
upon the towns that would most use it ; or on Middlesex 
County. The just decision of the Court was, that Medford 
and Charlestown should build a bridge, and each pay half the 
expenses and keep it in repair. August, 1747 : The General 
Court " order that Samuel Danforth, William Brattle, and 
Edmund Trowbridge, Esquires, be a Committee of said Court, 
empowered and directed to cause a good and sufficient bridge 
to be erected over the place called the Wears, between 
Charlestown and Medford ; one-half of the charge to be paid 
by the town of Charlestown, and the other half by the town 
of Medford." Nov. 4, 1747: Andrew Hall, Ebenezer 
Brooks, and Francis Whitmore, jnn., were appointed a Com- 
mittee to build one-half of the bridge. £200 (old tenor) 
was raised to pay for it. May 12, 1760, the selectmen were 
chosen to divide this bridge with the town of Charlestown. 
Ever since that time, the two towns have kept it in good 
repair ; and, recently, it has been rebuilt, and is now wide 
and strong. Its support devolves on Medford and West 
Cambridge. 

" Gravelly Bridge," so called, was first built by Mr. Cra- 
dock's men probably, and was the usual route for all the 
travel between the east and west parts of the town. It was 
very low, narrow, and slender at first, and received frequent 



BRIDGES. 69 

repairs. April 27, 1716, "put to vote whether Dea. Thomas 
Willis, John Whitmore, Jonathan Tufts, Ebenezer Brooks, 
and John Willis, shall view and consider what method may 
be most proper for the repairing of Gravelly Bridge, and 
what may be the cost thereof, and make report to said town 
at their next town-meeting. Voted in the«niirmative." June 
11, 1716: Voted " £5 to be raised for the repairing their 
meeting-house and mending Gravelly Bridge." 

The bridge over Gravelly Creek, in Ship Street, was built 
by a few Medford persons, in 1746, for the purpose of mak- 
ing a road to the tide-mill. 

March 4, 1751 : Voted to build a new bridge of stone 
where the present Gravelly Bridge is. This continued till 
recently, when a new one, built of stone, has been widened 
so as to cover the entire street. 

March 7, 1803: "Voted, that the bridges over Meeting- 
house and Whitmore's Brooks, so called, be rebuilt with 
stone." 

The bridge over Marble Brook, in West Medford (called 
" Meeting-house Brook " in later times), was made of wood at 
first, and so continued for more than a century ; it was then 
built of stone, in 1803, and so continued till 1850, when it 
was rebuilt of stone, and made as wide as the street. The 
same remarks belong to the small bridge, called " Whitmore's 
Bridge," farther west, and near the Lowell Railroad Station 
in West Medford. 

There is one feature connected with each of the four 
bridges, herein described, which is worth a passing notice. 
It is this. These bridges were only half the width of the 
road, and thus allowed fording ways at their sides. It was 
formerly the custom for those travelling with horses or driv- 
ing cattle to let their horses and cattle pass through the 
brook, and drink. The multiplication of wells, in public 
squares and frequented places, has helped to change the old 
habits ; and now, generally, these " watering-places " are 
covered. 

The bridge at Penny Ferry (Maiden) was opened for 
travel, Sept. 28, 1787 ; and President Washington rode over 
it in October, 1789, when he visited Salem. At that time, 
he came to Medford to see his friend, General Brooks, who 
lived in the first house west of the meeting-house. Medford 
opposed the building of the bridge on two grounds : first, 
that it would encumber navigation ; and, second, that it 



TO / HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

would divert travel from Medford. March 4, 1802, the 
town chose a Committee to compel the proprietors of Maiden 
Bridge to build the piers, next the draw, required by their 
act of incorporation. 

To show how general and how sharp was the opposition to 
the erection of Mitlden Bridge, we will quote from a letter of 
the Pastor of Medford to his friend in Charlestown, dated 
Monday, June 26, 1786 : — 

" Almost ever since I saw you, I have been so agitated about 
that execrable bridge at Penny Ferry, that law and divinity have 
both been obliged to stand by, whilst I bave rallied all my powers 
to tight the bridge-builders. And still the combat is not over. The 
people are bridge-mad. Old Judge R. is in a perfect frenzy, and 
raves about Charlestown and bridges with as little reason as the 
wildest lunatic in the defence of his imagined crown and sceptre. 
I do think it unpardonable in him and in the other inhabitants of 
Charlestown, who are abettors in this business. After the danger 
and terror they were all in, from the apprehension of a bridge at 
Leechmere's Point, and the assistance which they received from 
this town in making their escape, — for them, so immediately to turn 
upon us and appear so zealous for the destruction of Medford, is a 
conduct so base and ungenerous as nothing can palliate. 1 shall be 
tempted, when I preach to them again, to take total depravity for 
my subject, though that be a doctrine of which I had begun to 
doubt till I had this recent proof of it. 

" Last Saturday week passes among them for the Great Day. I 
felt but little disposed to see the transactions of it, and believe 
I should not have gone had I been invited. But neither I, nor any 
of my people, except Father C, came to that honor. I may say, 
as Nathan the Prophet did to David, with reference to Adonijah's 
feast, ' But me, even me, thy servant, &c, they have not called.' 
I am told that their preacher, the sabbath after, gave them an occa- 
sional sermon. My informer (one of my own people, you'll sup- • 
pose) could not tell the text ; but added, that, in his opinion, the 
most suitable one would have been these words: 'And the devils 
entered the herd of swine, and the whole herd ran violently down 
a steep place,' &c. 

" The Charlestown Bridge is indeed a grand and noble affair, 
beyond any thing ever effected in this country before. The only 
thing that I much regret about it is, that it has deprived so many, 
both wise men and fools, of their reason, and set them raving. 
Judge R., and his connections, are the wise men ; S., and the Mai- 
den gang, are the fools. As for the Maiden miserables, they were 
never awake till the talk about this bridge put them in motion, like 
men who walk in their sleep. They now leave their corn unhoed, 
and their grass not cut, to carry petitions to Court for a bridge, 



BRIDGES 



71 



which, if built, rather than pay two coppers toll, for going over it, 
they would choose to come round by Medford. But the distracted 
creatures think, that, if there should be a bridge, they shall at once 
commence a seaport town, have still-houses, stores, and what not. 
And in consequence of this wretched delusion, and that neglect of 
business among them, which it occasions, their families next winter 
will have no bread, and their cattle no hay. It will be a deed, not 
of charity, but of indispensable justice, in Judge R. to provide for 
the support of the poor ignoramuses; since it is owing to his super- 
annuated whims that their brains have been turned. As for the old 
Judge himself, I told him, the other day, that, if he had gone to a 
' better country ' some weeks since, it might have been well for 
him ; but, whether he would ever get there now, there was too 
much reason to fear, as he had of late so greatly and egregiously 
missed the way. His delirium is so great that it is not possible to 
reason with him. When my people tell him that the proposed 
bridge will ruin them, he answers all their objections with ' Well, 
come and live at Charlestown then.' W. H. says, that, ' were it 
possible, the judge would try to persuade the saints in heaven to 
come down and live in Charlestown.' Indeed, the Charlestown 
people in general, since the bridge is done, are so very high, that I 
know not whether they will not think it proper to add another story 
to their houses ! Knowing how a-tiptoe they were when I went 
down last week, though I could not very well afford to pay the toll 
for my carriage, yet, rather than stop among them, I chose to ride 
directly into Boston. Like all other religious and political enthu- 
siasts, their heat will abate in time ; they will gradually recover 
their senses, and become like other men. And, if the bridge 
should stand seven years (of which, by the way, I have still my 
doubts), by the expiration of that period the inhabitants of Charles- 
town will get their eyes open, and will see that it would have been 
more for their interest if it had never been built. This town feels 
the ill effects of it already in another respect besides the stir it has 
occasioned for a bridge at Penny Ferry. A trader, from the 
country, who, previous to the bridge, had all his goods brought up 
here in our lighters, did last week send five teams by us into Boston, 
there to unload and load again. And, if the country traders gene- 
rally do so, our boatmen will lose a profitable part of their business. 
But this does not give us much concern, provided we can prevent 
the bridge at Penny Ferry. I scribbled a very long letter to Judge 
Phillips upon this subject last week ; and he told me to-day that it 
is circulating among the members of the Court. I have kept a 
copy, and will send it to you in a few days. At present, I may 
possibly want it to show to some whom I may perhaps wish to influ- 
ence by it. If the facts which I have produced do not carry con- 
viction, and overwhelm these bridge-builders with confusion, I shall 
think that all the world is mad ; and that I and my people, with the 
few who have hitherto joined us, remain the only sober and rational 
part of this lower creation." 



I 
72 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

May 4, 1801: "Voted, that the selectmen, with Benj. 
Hall, Esq., and John Brooks, Esq., be a Committee to attend 
at the General Court on the first Tuesday of the next session, 
to prevent, if possible, the erection of another bridge across 
Mystic River." Nevertheless, Chelsea Bridge was built in 
180-4. The town directed the selectmen to petition the 
General Court to have the bridges over Mystic River widened ; 
and that no one should be less than forty-six feet in width. 

March 12, 1713: John Clark & Co. petition for a bridge 
across Charles River. Many in Medford strenuously opposed 
it ; and the wits had some playful ridicule of the project. 
The press, in 1714, has the following: "One great thing 
proposed hath been the building of a bridge over Charles 
River, and that it would be a service to us. This I look at 
to be next to building castles in the air. For, if we could 
sink forty or fifty thousand pounds in building such a bridge, 
the matter is uncertain whether it would answer the end ; for, « 
I can't learn of a fast bridge, over such a river, where there 
is such a stream, in the whole world." 



INDIANS. 

"When or where the Indians first appeared, ethnologists do 
not inform us. They have always awakened a strange and 
poetic interest, and have called out a deep and Christian sym- 
pathy. They who connected themselves with the first settlers 
of Medford, and continued their alliance through so ma,ny 
years, were too numerous and influential to be omitted in this 
history. 

Two large and powerful tribes held sway in this region 
when our fathers landed ; the Massachusetts and the Paw- 
tuckets. Their chief enemies were the Tarratines, on the 
Penobscot, who, at harvest, would come in their canoes, and 
reap the fields in this neighborhood. One hundred of them 
attacked Sagamores John and James, Aug. 8, 1631, by night, 
and wounded them and killed seven men. The renowned 
Sachem of the Pawtuckets was Nanepashemit, who removed 
from Lynn, 1615, and took up his abode on Mystic River, 
where he was killed in 1619. During his short and eventful 
residence in Medford, his house was placed on "Rock Hill," 
where he could best watch canoes in the river. Winslow 
gives the following account : — 



INDIANS. 73 

"On the morrow (Sept. 21, 1621), we went ashore, all but two 
men, and marched in arms up in the country. Having gone three 
miles, we came to a place where corn had been newly gathered, a 
house pulled down, and the people gone. A mile from hence, 
Nanepashemit, their king, in his lifetime, had lived. His house 
was not like others ; but a scaffold was largely built, with poles and 
planks, some six foot from the ground, and the house upon that, 
being situated on the top of a hill. Not far from hence, in a 
bottom, we came to a fort, built by their deceased king ; the manner 
thus : There were poles, some thirty or forty feet long, stuck in the 
ground as 'thick as they could be set, one by another ; and with 
them they enclosed a ring some forty or fifty feet over ; a trench, 
breast-high, was digged on each side ; one way there was to go into 
it with a bridge. In the midst of this palisado, stood the frame of 
a house, wherein, being dead, he lay buried. About a mile from 
hence, we came to such another, but seated on the top of a hill. 
Here Nanepashemit was killed, none dwelling in it since the time 
of his death." 

The histories represent him. living in Medford, not far 
from the river, not far from the pond, and on the tops of 
hills. This eminent Grand Sachem was the father of Saga- 
more John of Mystick, Sagamore James of Lynn, and Saga- 
more George of Salem. George finally became Sachem of 
the Pawtucketts. 

After the death of Nanepashemit, his wife, as Queen and 
Squa Sachem, reigned. She married Webcowit, the physi- 
cian of the tribe, "its powwow, priest, witch, sorcerer, and 
chirurgeon." In 1637, the Squa Sachem deeded a tract of 
land in Musketaquid (Concord). In 1639, she deeded a 
tract to Charlestown (now Somerville) ; also another tract to 
Jotham Gibbon, of Boston. This last deed is as follows : — 

" This testifies that I, the Sachem, which have right and posses- 
sion of the ground which I reserved from Charlestown and Cam- 
bridge, which lies against the Ponds of Misticke with the said 
ponds, I do freely give to Jotham Gibbon, his heyres, executors, 
and assigns for ever ; not willing to have him or his disturbed in 
the said gift after my death. And this I do without seeking too of 
him or any of his, but I receiving many kindnesses of them, and 
willing to acknowledge their many kindnesses by this small gift to 
their son, Jotham Gibons. 

"Witness my hand, the 13th of 11 mo., 1636. 

"The Squa Sachem g marke. 
"Webecowit O marke. 
" Witness, Edmund Quincy." 

10 



74 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Aug. 1, 1637: "Squa Sachem and "Webber Cowet did 
acknowledge in Court, that they had received of Mr. Gib- 
bins, for the town of Charlestown, 36s. for the land between 
Charlestown and Wenotomies River, which they acknowledge 
themselves to be satisfied for." 

Another grant, by the " Squa Sachem of Mistick," of lands 
bordering on Medford, is as follows : — 

"The 15th of the 2d mo., 1639: Wee, Web-Cowet and Squa 
Sachem, do sell unto the inhabitants of the towne of Charlestowne 
all the land within the line granted them by the Court (excepting 
the farmes and the ground on the west of the two great ponds, 
called Misticke Ponds), from the south side of Mr. Nowell's lott, 
neere the upper end of the ponds, unto the little runnet that cometh 
from Capt. Cook's mills, which the Squa reserveth to their use, for 
her life, for the Indians to plant and hunt upon, and the weare 
above the ponds they also reserve for the Indians to fish at whiles 
the Squa liveth; and, after the death of Squa Sachem, she doth 
leave all her lands, from Mr. Mayhue's house to neere Salem, to 
the present Governor, Mr. John Winthrop, sen., Mr. Increase 
Nowell, Mr. John Willson, Mr. Edward Gibons, to dispose of, and 
all Indians to depart ; and, for sattisfaction from Charlestowne, wee 
acknowledge to have received, in full sattisfaction, twenty and one 
coates, ninten fathom of wampom, and three bushels of corn. In 
witness whereof, we have here unto sett o'r hands, the day and year 
above named. 

"The mark of Squa Sachem, m'c. 

" The mark of Web-Cowet, m." 

This queen died in Medford before 1662, as appears from 
the following documents in the 2d vol. of Middlesex Regis- 
try of Deeds : — 

"Mr. Francis Norton and Nicholas Davison (Mr. Cradock's 
agent) do, in the name of the inhabitants of Charlestown, lay 
claim to the tract of land reserved to Squa Sachem during her life- 
time, and which is at present possessed and improved by Thomas 
Gleison of Charlestown ; this land bounded on the east by Mystic 
Pond, on the west by Cambridge Common, on the south by the 
land of Mr. Cooke, on the north formerly in the possession of Mr. 
Increase Nowell. 

" This demand and claim was made in the person of John Fen- 
nell and Mr. William Sims, the 25th of March, 1662, at the house 
of Thomas Gleison. 

"Entered 29th of March, 1662, by T. Danporth. 

"Signed, " John Fennell. 

" Wm. Simmes." 



INDIANS. 75 

Sagamore John, whose Indian name was Wonohaquaham, 
lived in Medford, and probably occupied at times the house 
of his father. He was friendly to our ancestors ; he gave 
them permission to settle, and afterwards apprised them of 
the premeditated assault of the unfriendly Indians. He died 
in Medford, Dec. 5, 1633. His last hours are thus described 
in " New England's First Fruits : " — 

" Sagamore John, Prince of Massaquesers, was, from our very 
first landing, more courteous, ingenious, and, to the English, more 
loving than others of them. He desired to learn and speak our 
language, and loved to imitate us in our behavior and apparel, and 
began to hearken after our God and his ways, and would much 
commend Englishmen and their God, saying (much good men, much 
good God) and being convinced that our condition and ways were 
better far than theirs, did resolve and promise to leave the Indians, 
and come live with us ; but yet, kept down by the fears and scoffs 
of the Indians, had not power to make good his purpose ; yet went 
on, not without some trouble of mind and secret plucks of con- 
science, as the sequel declares ; for, being struck with death, fear- 
fully cried out of himself that he had not come to live with us, to 
have known our God better. ' But now,' said he, ' I must die, the 
God of the English is much angry with me, and will destroy me. 
Ah ! I was afraid of the scoffs of the wicked Indians ; yet my 
child shall live with the English, and learn to know their God, when 
I am dead. I will give him to Mr. Wilson : he is much good man, 
and much love me.' So sent for Mr. Wilson to come to him, and 
committed his only child to his care, and so died." 

The Indians were powerful on this shore ; and Gosnold, 
who was at Cape Cod in 1602, says " this coast is very full 
of people." Capt. Smith, who was here in 1614, says it 
"was well inhabited with many people." Sir Ferdinando 
Gorges adds, "At our first discovery of those coasts, we found 
it very populous, the inhabitants stout and warlike." Speak- 
ing of the Mattachusetts, Capt. Smith observes, " For their 
trade and merchandise, to each of their principal families or 
habitations, they have divers towns and people belonging, 
and, by their relations and descriptions, more than twenty 
several habitations. It is the Paradise of all those parts ; for 
here are many isles planted with corn, groves, mulberries, 
savage gardens, and good harbors. The seacoast, as you 
pass, shows you all along large cornfields." 

This picture of Indian prosperity was almost wholly effaced 
by the terrible plague of 1617 and 1618. Morton says of 
it, "They died on heaps as they lay in their houses ; and the 



76 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

living, that were able to shift for themselves, would run 
awav and let them die, and let their carcasses lie above the 
ground without burial. And the bones and skulls upon the 
several places of their habitations made such a spectacle, that 
it seemed to me a new-found Golgotha.'*' 

Dermer, who was at Cape Cod in 1619, says : "I passed 
along the coast, where I found some eminent plantations, not 
long since populous, now utterly void. In another place a 
remnant remains, but not free from sickness ; their disease 
the plague." 

Rev. Francis Higginson, in 16.-29, speaking of the Saga- 
mores, says : " Their subjects, above twelve years since, 
were swept away by a great and grievous plague, that was 
amongst them, so that there are very few left to inhabit the 
countrv." Gookin says : " I have discoursed with some old 
Indians, that were then youths (in the time of the plague), 
who sav that the bodies all over were exceedingly yellow ; 
describing it by a yellow garment they showed me, both 
before they died and afterward;. " 

It is estimated that, on the arrival of the English, there 
were about twenty thousand Indians within fifty miles of 
Plvmouth. Their government was rather patriarchal than 
monarchical. Several hundreds, united under one head, 
made a family ; and their head was called Sagamore. TThen 
several families were united under one head, that head was 
called Sachem. The territory for many miles round Mystic 
River was owned and occupied by small tribes or detach- 
ments, each having its own head. The land on which we 
live belonged to Sagamore John. He had a brother James, 
who was Sagamore at Saugus. Their father bequeathed his 
sovereigntv in equal proportions to his two sons, as was the 
common rule. The Sagamores were subordinates to the 
higher chief. The Xaumkeags owned the territory from 
^s orth River, in Salem, to Charles River ; and their numbers 
were computed at six thousand. 

Hubbard says : " Xear the mouth of Charles River, there 
used to be the general rendezvous of all the Indians, both on 
the north and south side of the country. It was the seat of 
the great Sachem, who was much venerated by all the planta- 
tions of Indians. At Mistick was the seat of a Sagamore, 
near adjoining which is a great creek that meets with the 
mouth of Charles River, and so makes the haven of Boston.'' 

The records of Charlestown sav : " About the months of 



INDIANS. 77 

April or May, A. D. 1630, there was a great design of the 
Indians, from the Narragansetts, and all round about us to 
the eastward in all parts, to cut off the English, which John 
Sagamore (who always loved the English ) revealed to the 
inhabitants of this town." 

Such threats as these induced Mr. Cradock's men to build 
brick houses which would answer the uses of forts. For this 
reason, Charlestown this year " erected a small fort on the 
top of Town Hill ; " the women helped the men to dig and 
build. 

So destructive had been "the plague" (or yellow fever) 
that Mr. Higginson says, 1629 : " The greatest Sagamores 
about us cannot make above three hundred men (warriors), 
and other less Sagamores have not above fifteen subjects, and 
others near about us but two." Gov. Dudley, in 1631, says : 
" Upon the river Mistick is situated Sagamore John ; and 
upon the river Saugus, Sagamore James, his brother. Both 
these brothers command not above thirty or forty men, for 
aught I can learn." "We have it from Gov. Winthrop, that 
in 1633 Sagamores John and James, and most of their people, 
died of the small pox. Of the subjects of John, thirty were 
buried in one day by Mr. Maverick. The disease spread to 
Piscatoqua, where it proved mortal to all the Indians, except 
two or three. 

Thus we learn that the region round Mystic River was 
" almost wholly deserted." It became a dreaded region, and 
Indian superstition kept it so ; for Johnson says, " The 
neighboring Indians did abandon those places for fear of 
death." A writer of 1632 says the "peninsular," meaning 
the space between Boston and Medford, "is full of Indians." 
We apprehend that this statement needs qualification. Thus 
reduced and disheartened, it was not difficult for our Medford 
ancestors to govern them. Wisdom, virtue, and valor have a 
natural right to govern. The strong characters of our 
fathers carried a magnetic influence to the Indian's heart. 
He saw that they had intelligence to plan, courage to perse- 
vere, and power to execute ; and the natural consequence 
was submission. But it was not the rule of tyrants on the 
one hand, nor the subjection of slaves on the other : it was 
the friendly influence of Christian missionaries among hea- 
then, for whose conversion they labored and prayed. Gov. 
Cradock writes to his agents here, " Above all, we pray you 
be careful there be none in our precincts permitted to do any 



78 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

injury (in the least kind) to the heathen people ; and if any 
offend in that way, let them receive due correction." Our 
Medford settlers were forbidden to buy lands of the Indians 
without leave ; and they were forbidden to sell them " strong 
water." We find the following record, May 9, 1632 : " It is 
agreed that there shall be a trucking-house appointed in 
every plantation, whither the Indians may resort to trade, to 
avoid their coming to several houses." The Indians had 
great confidence in our fathers ; and nothing was omitted 
which justice or humanity required. An Indian was murdered 
in the Old Colony ; and three Englishmen, fairly convicted, 
were hung for it. Sagamore John complains (March 8, 1631) 
that two of his wigwams had been burnt by the English. 
He was immediately paid for them, and went away perfectly 
satisfied. Eliot's translation of the Sacred Scriptures into 
.the Indian tongue (1648) was circulated by our fathers among 
the tribes of this region. 

This godlike man speaks of " the Mistick Indians " with 
affection and respect in a letter, Nov. 13, 1649, and says they 
were ingenious and good and prayerful, and came often to 
the place where he preached. They were called " Praying 
Indians." 

August 7, 1632 : " Sagamore John promised against the 
next year, and so ever after, to fence their corn against all 
kinds of cattle." " Chickataubott and Sagamore John pro- 
mised to make satisfaction for whatever wrong that any of 
their men shall do to any of the English, to their cattle, or 
any other wares." 

March 7, 1644 : By solemn compact, all the Indians in this 
jurisdiction put themselves under the government and pro- 
tection of the Massachusetts Colony. The General Court, 
with true Christian policy, institute special legal tribunals for 
the trial of their causes. The laws enacted concerning them 
were wise and tolerant. Among them were these : Titles to 
land to be purchased at satisfactory prices ; Indians never to 
be molested ; not allowed fire-arms ; a crime to sell them fire- 
arms or ammunition ; intermarriage with them discouraged ; 
strange Indians to be kept out. Governor Winslow, in a 
letter, dated May 1, 1676, says: "I think I can clearly say, 
that the English did not possess one foot of land in this Colony 
but what was fairly obtained' by honest purchase of the Indian 
proprietors." Governor Cradock (1629) says: " If any of 
the savages pretend right of inheritance to all or any part of 



INDIANS. 79 

the lands granted in our patent, we pray you endeavor to 
purchase their title, that we may avoid the least scruple of 
intrusion." 

Although our Medford ancestors took every precaution to 
conciliate their copper-colored neighbors, and although hos- 
tilities did not commence between the settlers and the natives 
till Philip's "War, nevertheless the chiefs felt jealous of the 
whites. Of this there is as little doubt as there is that they 
sometimes had reason for it. The erection of forts in this 
plantation, and the placing of palisades about their houses, 
testify to the apprehensions of our fathers. Is it not natural 
fro suppose that between the red men and the whites there 
might be suspicion ? The Indians led lives of hunting and 
war, and they saw the white men banded together for trade 
and self-defence. "What so common in a savage breast as 
suspicion ? The English appeared to the Indians to be dan- , 
gerous intruders ; and every new act was misconstrued into 
a premeditated encroachment. Philip's "War (1675), as it 
brought the great question of supremacy to its crisis, gave 
form to the feelings of both parties, and settled the terms of 
future companionship. Six hundred whites were slain, which 
was one man in every eleven ; six hundred buildings were 
burned, and twelve towns utterly destroyed. The Indians 
believed that they were called to fight for their wives and 
children, their homes and hunting-grounds. They felt them- 
selves to be great, as they knew themselves to be brave. 
They held themselves to be chieftains of the rivers and the 
waterfalls, lords of the mountain-pass and the mountain-peak, 
owners of the illimitable forests, and conquerors of the pan- 
ther and the bear ; and they felt that all was held by a title- 
deed, which ran back farther than human dates and parch- . 
ment registers. For such men, with such a faith, to succumb 
to foreign intruders they felt to be worse than death. 

Philip's army numbered three thousand five hundred ; and 
our town furnished its quota of men and money to oppose 
it. Not a soldier nor a penny was furnished by the mother 
country to protect or aid the whites in that eventful struggle. 

To the honor of the first settlers of Medford be it said, 
that they followed the advice of Mr. Cradock ; and no 
instance of injustice or oppression towards the Indians can 
be traced in our history. The town often passed laws touch- 
ing those who dwelt among them ; but those laws were exe- 
cuted with kindness. There were some here as slaves : for 



80 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

the General Court in early times passed a law that any Indian 
convicted of crime, or taken in war, should be sold as a slave. 
The law of 1646 gave them some trouble. It ran thus : " It 
is ordered and decreed that no Indian shall, at any time, 
powwow, or perform outward worship of their false gods, or 
to the devil, in any part of our jurisdiction." Penalty £5. 
In 1698, there were four thousand one hundred and sixty- 
eight Indians in Massachusetts ; and there were enough in 
this neighborhood to keep our fathers wide awake. It was 
common to go armed to the ploughing field ; and Mac Fingal, 
in his way, gives us the following history of those times : — 

" For once, for fear of Indian beating, 
Our grandsires bore their guns to meeting ; 
Each man equipped, on Sunday morn, 
With psalm-book, shot, and powder-horn ; 
And looked in form, as all must grant, 
Like the ancient true church-militant ; 
Or fierce, like modern deep divines, 
Who fight with quills, like porcupines." 

Wood describes the Indians of this region thus : — 

" First, of their stature ; most of them being between five and 
six feet high, straight-bodied, strongly composed, smooth-skinned, 
merry-countenanced, of complexion somewhat more swarthy than 
Spaniards, black-haired, high-foreheaded, black-eyed, out-nosed, 
broad-shouldered, brawny-armed, long and slender-handed, out- 
breasted, small-waisted, lank-bellied, well-thighed, flat-kneed, hand- 
some grown legs, and small feet. In a word, take them when the 
blood brisks in their veins, when the flesh is on their backs, and 
marrow in their bones, when they frolic in their antique deportments 
and Indian postures, and they are more amiable to behold (though 
only in Adam's livery) than many a compounded fantastic in the 
newest fashion. It may puzzle belief to conceive how such lusty 
bodies should have their rise and daily supportment from so slender 
a fostering ; their houses being mean, their lodging as homely, 
commons scant, their drink water, and nature their best clothing." 

Remnants of the Indian tribes were common till the be- 
ginning of the present century. In Medford they lived in 
"Turkey Swamp." So late even as our day, farmers in 
Medford have ploughed up stone arrow-heads, stone drills, 
and other Indian weapons and tools. No Indian necropolis 
has yet been discovered, though one probably exists on the 
borders of our pond. The last Indian here was "Hannah 
Shiner," a full blood, who lived with " Old Toney," a noble- 



INDIANS. 81 

soulecl mulatto man, who lived on the Woburn Road, in 
West Medford, opposite where the town schoolhouse once 
stood. Hannah was kind-hearted, a faithful friend, a sharp 
enemy, a judge of .herbs, a weaver of baskets, and a lover of 
rum. Toney was once well off; and on Thanksgiving Day, 
when he was to give a rich dinner to a dozen of his colored 
friends, his house took fire, and was wholly consumed. They, 
of" us, who remember the old liberated slaves, remember how 
much they suffered from winter's coldness. The black man's 
skin is made to bear the heat, the white man's to bear the 
cold ; and both races flourish best by regarding the law. 
" Deb Saco " was another specimen whom many remember, 
and who died about twelve years ago. " Sulk and Lucy " 
were the last couple in West Medford of the liberated slaves. 
They lived near the road leading to West Cambridge, in a 
small building, whose roof was turf, and which obtained the 
title of " Salt Box." We know that all these persons were 
tenderly cared for by their neighbors, and their last days 
made comfortable and happy. 

We fear that the modern scheme of gathering all the In- 
dians within the limits of one free state, and that state to 
be wholly theirs, with all the powers and privileges of other 
states, will not succeed. It will be found extremely diffi- 
cult to persuade all the chiefs to abdicate and destroy their 
crowns ; to annihilate the deadly hostilities of ancient tribes ; 
to change the established habits of hunting, and substitute 
hard labor, and to reconcile the opposing religious beliefs. 

This noble and peculiar people seemed doomed to retreat, 
before the resistless march of the Anglo-Saxon race, till they 
reach the shores of the Pacific ; and we can imagine the last 
Indian, the sole survivor on this western continent, standing 
on a lofty crag, which overhangs the sea, and there calling to 
mind the sad and eventful histories of his wasted country- 
men. He thinks of the time when the wigwams of his 
brethren were scattered over the entire region, from the spot 
where he stands to the borders of the Atlantic coast, and each 
wigwam filled with a happy and prosperous family. He 
thinks of their ancestral rights and their traditional glories, 
their feats in the hunt and their valor in the fight, their calu- 
met of peace and their dance of victory. He remembers the 
deeds of his father and the love of his mother, the sweet 
devotion of his wife, and the noble promise of his children ; 

and he sees now that all these have vanished. He sees that 

11 



82 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

all those joys are over, those battles fought, those council- 
fires extinguished, and those hopes prostrate in the dust ; and, 
instead thereof, he sees the white man, who has wrought all 
these desolations, rushing towards him. For a moment he 
forgets himself. The avenging ire of the Indian rises within 
him, the blood crimsons his manly cheek, and he seizes with 
convulsive grasp his tomahawk and bow ; but the next instant 
tells him it is too late. All is lost. He drops his tomahawk 
on the ground, shoots his last arrow towards the east, lifts 
his right hand in adoration of the Great Spirit, and then, all 
unconquered, leaps from the precipice into the stormy sea, 
and closes the history of his race. 

MATHEW CRADOCK. 

Medford owes its first settlement to the influence of Gov- 
ernor Cradock and Governor Winthrop. The first gentleman 
was the richest individual attached to the New England 
Company; and he gave his money with the freedom of an 
enthusiast. In vol. ix., No. 2, of the New England Genea- 
logical Register, is the genealogy of Gov. Cradock. He lived 
in Swithin's Lane, London, near London Stone ; and " had a 
house furnished at Rumford, in Essex." The first that we 
hear of him is as a distinguished merchant, taking a deep 
interest in the Puritan cause and in the settlement of New 
England. He was especially instrumental in forming the 
" Company of Massachusetts Bay," whose organization was 
the first systematic effort for the permanent settlement of this 
Colony. To obtain a charter was a primary object ; and he 
was among the foremost in petitioning the king. The boon 
was finally granted by Charles First, March 4, 1628-9, and 
called the " Charter of the Massachusetts Bay in New Eng- 
land." In this important document, the king says : "And for 
the better execution of our royal pleasure and grant in this 
behalf, we do, by this present, for us, our heirs and succes- 
sors, nominate, make, and constitute our well-beloved the 
said Mathew Cradock, to be the first and present Governor 
of the said company." The Governor was to be chosen 
annually ; and, May 13, 1629, Mr. Cradock was elected to 
that office. Whenever a " Court " was held in London (and 
they were held very often), the Governor presided. The 
Court consisted of the Governor, Deputy-Governor, Secre- 
tary, and Assistants. They were the government of the 



MATHEW CRADOCK. °3 

company, which was a commercial establishment in England, 
not vested with political power as rulers. Oct. ZO, lo~y : 
Mr. Cradock was chosen an Assistant. In all subscriptions 
for helping the Colony, he gave the largest sum ; and to show 
how extensively he loaned for special purposes, we find the 
Court of Assistants, at London, Nov. 20, 1629, voting to pay 
him £800, to reimburse what he had paid for sailors wages 
and other incidental expenses. In the annual Registers he 
was styled the " first Governor of the Colony ; but he had 
not the full legislative and executive powers afterwards 
granted to Gov. Winthrop ; for he did not need them. 
' July 28, 1629 : On this day Mr. Cradock brought before 
the Court the important proposition, namely, to transfer the 
government of the Colony from London to New England. 
This bold measure, which would change an English com- 
mercial corporation into an organized transatlantic govern- 
ment, was second only, in importance, to the coming ol the 
« Mayflower." The company say, in 1629 : " The propaga- 
tion of the gospel is the thing we do profess above all to be 
our aim in settling this plantation." How rapidly does the 
mind travel from this prophetic fact to its natural conse- 
quences ! We see a positive provincial government secured 
by a royal charter, taking root among Anglo-Saxon Puritans, 
three thousand miles distant from arbitrary masters ; and we 
readily infer that self-government will gradually strengthen 
till national independence is evolved. To Mr. Cradock 
belongs the honor of this movement in London ; and that 
honor is not lessened by the fact that he was not going to 
America. His zeal in the project is proved by his subse- 
quent labor and contributions to promote it. Two of the ships 
which sailed with the "Arbella " belonged to him. They were 
the « Ambrose " (Capt. John Lowe) and the « Jewel (Capt. 
Nicholas Hurlston) ; and in these vessels came Mr. Cradock s 
fishermen, coopers, and shipwrights ; and in them, doubtless, 
came most of the first settlers of Medford from Suffolk and 

We' will here give a copy of a letter which will be read 
with deep interest : — 

Letter from Mathew Cradock, Governor of the Company; addressed 
to Mr. John Endicott, then in New England. 

" Worthy sir, and my loving friend : All due commendations pre- 
mised to yourself and second self, with hearty well-wishes from 



84 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

myself and many others, well- wishers and adventurers in this our 
plantation, to yourself and the rest of your good company, of whose 
safe arrival being now thoroughly informed by your letters, bearing 
date the 13th Sept. last, which came to my hands the 13 this instant 
February, we do not a little rejoice ; and to hear that my good 
cousin, your wife, were perfectly recovered of her health would be 
an acceptable news to us all ; which God grant in his good time that 
we may. Meanwhile, I am, in the behalf of our whole company 
(which are much enlarged since your departure out of England), to 
give you hearty thanks for your large advice contained in this your 
letter, which I have fully imparted unto them, and, farther, to give 
proof that they intend not to be wanting by all good means to 
further the plantation; to which purpose (God willing) you shall 
hear more at another time, and that speedily ; there being one ship 

bought for the company of tons, and two others hired of two 

hundred tons each of them, one of nineteen, and one of pieces 

of ordnance, besides not unlike but one other vessel shall come in 
company with these ; in all which ships, for the general stock and 
property of the adventurers, there is likely to be sent thither twixt 
two and three hundred persons (we hope to reside there), and about 
one hundred head of cattle. Wherefore', as I wrote you in full, 
and sent by Mr. Allerton, of New Plymouth, in November last, so 
the desire of them is, that you would endeavor to get convenient 
housing, fit to lodge as many as you can, against they do come ; and, 
withal, what beaver, or other commodities, or fish, if the means to 
preserve it can be gotten ready, to return in the aforesaid ships. 
And likewise wood, if no better lading be to be had ; that you 
would endeavor to get in a readiness what you can, whereby our 
ships, whereof two are to return back directly hither, may not come 
wholly empty. There hath not been a better time for sale of timber 
these two seven years than at present ; and, therefore, pity these 
ships should come back empty, if it might be made ready, that they 
need not stop one day for it : otherwise, men's wages and victuals, 
together with the ships, will quickly rise too high, if to be rela- 
den with wood, and that the same be not ready to put aboard as 
soon as the ships are discharged of their outward lading. I wish 
also that there be some sassafras and sassaparilla sent us, as also 
good store of sumac, if there to be had, as we are informed there 
is. The like do I wish for a ton weight at least of silk-grass, and 
of aught else that may be useful for dyeing or in physic ; to have 
some of each sent, and advice given withal what store of each to be 
had there, if vent may be found here for it. Also, I hope you will 
have some good sturgeon in a readiness to send us ; and, if it be 
well cured, two or three hundred thereof would help well towards 
our charge. We are very confident of your best endeavors for the 
general good ; and we doubt not but God will in mercy give a 
blessing upon our labors ; and we trust you will not be unmindful 
of the main end of our plantation, by endeavoring to bring the 



MATHEW CRADOCK. 85 

Indians to the knowledge of the gospel, which that it may be 
speedier and better effected, the earnest desire of our whole com- 
pany is, that you have diligent and watchful eye over our own 
people ; that they live unblameable and without reproof, and demean 
themselves justly and courteous towards the Indians, thereby to 
draw them to affect our persons, and consequently our religion ; as 
also to endeavor to get some of their children to train up to reading, 
and consequently to religion, while they are young : herein, to 
young or old, to omit no good opportunity that may tend to bring 
them out of that woful state and condition they now are in ; in which 
case our predecessors in this our land sometimes were, and but for 
the mercy and goodness of our good God might have continued to 
this day ; but God, who, out of the boundless ocean of his mercy, 
hath showed pity and compassion to our land, he is all-sufficient and 
can bring this to pass which we now desire in that country likewise. 
Only let us not be wanting on our parts, now we are called to this 
work of the Lord ; neither, having put our hands to the plough, let 
us look back, but go on cheerfully, and depend upon God for a 
blessing upon our labors, who, by weak instruments, is able (if he 
see it good) to bring glorious things to pass. 

" Be of good courage, go on, and do worthily, and the Lord pros- 
per your endeavor. 

" It is fully resolved, by God's assistance, to send over two minis- 
ters, at the least, with the ships now intended to be sent thither ; 
but, for Mr. Peters, he is now in Holland, from whence his return 
hither I hold to be uncertain. Those we send shall all be by the 
approbation of Mr. White, of Dorchester, and Mr. Davenport. 
For whatsoever else you have given advice, care shall be taken, 
God willing, to perform the needful, as near as we can, and the 
times will permit ; whereof, also, you may expect more ample 
advertisement in their general letter, when God shall send our ships 
thither. The course you have taken in giving our countrymen 
their content of planting tobacco there for the present (their neces- 
sity considered) is not disallowed; but we trust in God other means 
will be found to employ their time more comfortable, and profitable 
also in the end ; and we cannot but generally approve and commend 
their good resolution to desist from the planting thereof, when as 
they shall descern how to employ their labors otherwise, which we 
hope they will be speedily induced unto, by such precepts and 
examples as we shall give them. And now, minding to conclude 
this, I may not omit to put you in mind, however you seem to fear 
no enemies there, yet that you have a watchful eye for your own 
safety, and the safety of all those of our nation with you, and not 
to be too confident of the fidelity of the savages. It is an old pro- 
verb, yet as true, the burnt child dreads the fire. Our countrymen 
have suffered by their too much confidence in Virginia. Let us by 
their harms learn to beware ; and as we are commanded to be in- 
nocent as doves, so withal we are enjoined to be wise as serpents. 



86 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The God of heaven and earth preserve and keep you from all 
foreign and inland enemies, and bless and prosper this plantation to 
the enlargement of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, to whose merciful 
protection I commend you and all your associates there, known or 
unknown. And so, till my next, which shall be (God willing) by 
our ships, who I make account will be ready to set sail from hence 
about the 20th of this next month of March, I end, and rest, 
Your assured loving friend and cousin, 

Mathew Cradock. 
From my house in Swithin's Lane, near London Stone, this 16th 
February, 1628, stilo Anglicae. 

The confidence felt by the " Court " in Mr. Cradock's 
judgment was evinced by putting him first on that Commit- 
tee which was to divide and apportion the lands in New 
England, thus deciding how and where the first settlements 
should take place. He did all he could to get the fleet in 
readiness to sail. On the morning of the 29th March, 1630, 
when the vessels were lying at Cowes, he made a visit to his 
friends, and consulted with them on the expediency of sailing 
on Easter Monday. Hubbard says : " They were advised so to 
do by Mr. Cradock (who w r as that morning on board the *Ar- 
bella' ), the late Governor, and owner of the two last ships." 
Gov. Winthrop says : " Mr. Cradock was aboard the 'Arbella.' 
"We came to council. Mr. Cradock presently w r ent back, our 
captain giving him three shots out of the steerage for a fare- 
well." This gentleman, wise, good, zealous, honored, and 
rich, may be regarded, before any other individual, as the 
Founder of Medford. There is no record of settlements 
earlier than those connected with him. 

He was singularly cautious in selecting his workmen ; and 
such an extensive establishment for fishing as he designed, 
supposes many collateral branches of trade. In 1631, his 
agent, Mr. Davison, had become so settled as to build a ship 
on the bank of the Mystick. The place probably was where 
Mr. Calvin Turner built his first ship, or at Rock Hill. 
Providing his fishermen with vessels as fast as possible must 
have made Medford a place of brisk trade and commercial 
consequence. These first movements of Mr. Cradock here 
were in keeping with his expansive mind and great wealth. 
We have proof of his wide enterprise in the following 
record: "Feb. 1, 1634: Mr. Cradock's house at Marblehead 
was burnt down about midnight before, there being in it Mr. 
Allerton and many fishermen, whom he employed that season. 



MATHEW CRADOCK. 87 

Mr. Allerton fished with eight boats." Jossylyn speaks of 
Mr. Cradock's plantation, in 1638, " on the west of Mystick 
River, where he has impaled a park ; " unquestionably the 
first park for deer impaled in this country. 

In 1630, Mr. Cradock provides a man (Richard Water- 
man), "whose chief employment," he says to his men at 
Medford, " will be to get you good venison." The Company 
in England say (April 17, 1629), "William Ryall and 
Thomas Brude, coopers and cleavers of timber, are enter- 
tained by us in halves with Mr. Cradock, our Governor." 

To express their sense of the value of Mr. Cradock's ser- 
vices for the Colony, the General Court, held at Newton, 
March 4, 1634, make him a grant of land in the following 
words : " All the ground, as well upland as meadow, lying 
and being betwixt the land of Mr. Nowell and Mr. Wilson 
on the east, and the partition betwixt Mistick bounds on the 
west, bounded with Mistick River on the south, and the 
Rocks on the north, is granted to Mr. Mathew Cradock, 
merchant, to enjoy to him and his heirs for ever." 

Some of the earliest grants of land were made before any 
boundary lines of towns were fixed. 

"March 3, 1635 : Ordered that the land formerly granted 
to Mr. Cradock, merchant, shall extend one mile into the 
country from the river-side in all places." This tract is sup- 
posed to have embraced three thousand five hundred acres. 

In proof of this gentleman's profound attachment to the 
Puritan enterprise, we will here quote a few sentences from 
the " First Letter of the Governor and Deputy of the New 
England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay, to 
the Governor and Council for London's Plantation in the 
Massachusetts Bay, in New England." April 17, 1629: 
Many men and various articles for trade and use having been 
sent from London, the letter says : — 

" We pray you give all good accommodation to our present Go- 
vernor, Mr. Mathew Cradock, who, with some particular brethren of 
the company, have deeply engaged themselves in their private ad- 
ventures in these ships, and those to come ; and as we hold these 
men, that thus deeply adventure in their private, to be (under God) 
special instruments for the advancing and strengthening of the 
plantation, which is done by them without any charge to the com- 
pany's general stock, wherein, notwithstanding, they are as deep or 
deeper engaged than any other. 

" We have sent six shipwrights, of whom Robert Moulton is 



88 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

chief. These men's entertainment is very chargeable to us ; and by 
agreement it is to be borne two-thirds at the charge of the general 
company, and the other one-third is to be borne by Mr. Cradock, 
our Governor, and his associates interested in a private stock. We 
hope you will be careful to see them so employed as may counter- 
vail the charge, desiring you to agree with Mr. Sharp that their 
labor may be employed two-thirds for the general company, and one- 
third for Mr. Cradock and his associates ; praying you to accom- 
modate said Mr. Cradock's people in all fitting manner, as he doth 
well deserve. 

" Our Governor, Mr. Cradock, hath entertained (paid the expenses 
of) two gardeners, one of which he is content the company shall 
have use of, if need be." 

In a second letter, from the same source, directed to the 
same persons, under date of May 28, 1629, we find the fol- 
lowing statements : — 

" The cattle now and formerly sent have been all provided by the 
Governor, Mr. Cradock, except the three mares that came out of 
Leicestershire. < 

" The provisions for building of ships, as pitch, tar, rosin, oakum, 
old ropes for oakum, cordage, and sail-cloth, in all these ships, with 
nine firkins and five half-barrels of nails in the ' Two Sisters,' are 
two-thirds for the company in general, and one-third for the Go- 
vernor, Mr. Cradock, and his partners ; as is also the charge of one 
George Farr, now sent over to the six shipwrights formerly sent." 

These extracts show the deep enthusiasm of Mr. Cradock 
in the New England enterprise. He went into it heart and 
purse. He adopted Medford as his head-quarters ; and here 
he made his first settlement, here opened his business of 
ship-building and fishing, and here placed an agent to exe- 
cute his plans. The most sagacious and wealthy merchant of 
the company could not have made a wiser choice. To Med- 
ford he directed his thoughts, in Medford he expended his 
money, and for the prosperity of Medford he devoutly prayed. 
Our infant town could not have had a better father. 

He may have first stopped opposite Winthrop's farm, at 
Ten Hills, and there done something in the fishing business ; 
but we very soon find him, by his agent, engaged in building 
a bridge across Mistick River, at the place where "the great 
bridge " now stands. There could have been no motive for 
his building such a bridge, at such a time, and at his own 
expense, unless his men and business were in that neighbor- 
hood. That his operations were not confined to one spot 



MATHEW CRADOCK. 89 

appears from the fact that he had a fishing establishment " at 
Agawam, by Merrimack," where, Aug. 8, 1631, some hostile 
Indians " rifle the wigwam where Mr. Cradock's men kept to 
catch sturgeons, taking away their nets, biskets, &c." In the 
records of the General Court, held at Boston, Nov. 7, 1632, 
we have the following record : " Mr. Mathew Cradock is 
fined <£4 for his men being absent from training divers times." 
This was remitted, probably on account of the impossibility 
in a fisherman of being on shore at any given period. 

At a General Court held at Boston, March 4, 1633, the 
following grant was made : " The Wear at Mistick is granted 
to John Winthrop, Esq., present Governor, and to Mr. Mathew 
Cradock, of London, to enjoy to them and their heirs for 
ever." 

March 3, 1635 : In General Court. — "Ordered that there 
shall be ,£55 paid to Mr. Cradock." 

March 26, 1638: "There is a grant of a thousand acres 
of land granted to Mr. Mathew Cradock, where it may be 
had without prejudice to any plantation or former grants, in 
the judgment of the Court. Also there is granted to Mr. 
Cradock five hundred acres of land more for such servants as 
he shall appoint it unto, twenty miles from any plantation, 
without prejudice to any plantation." 

June 2, 1641 : " Mr. Thomas May hew and Mr. Joseph 
Cooke appointed to set but the five hundred acres of Mr. 
Oldham's for Mr. Cradock near Mount Feake." 

On the same day, " Voted that Mr. Cradock's rates should 
be forborne till the next ship come, and then it is referred to 
Mr. Stoughton and Mr. Hawthorne to consider and give order 
in it." 

The reader may now be referred to what is said concerning 
Mr. Cradock's agency in building the first bridge over Mis- 
tick River ; and, putting those facts with these here stated, 
we come at the conclusion that Medford should cherish with 
gratitude the memory of one who opened here a new and 
extensive trade, who sent over many men as laborers in ship- 
building and fishing, who conjured all to treat the Indians 
with tenderness and generosity, and who, in the letter of 
April 17, 1629, speaks of the settlement of families here in 
these terms : — 

" Our earnest desire is, that you take special care in settling these 
families, that the chief in the family (at least some of them) be 

12 



90 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

grounded in religion, whereby morning and evening family duties 
may be duly performed, and a watchful eye held over all in each 
family, by one or more in each family to be appointed thereto, that 
so disorders may be prevented, and ill weeds nipt before they take 
too great a head." 

In the same letter we find the following : — 

" Above all, we pray you be careful there be none in our pre- 
cincts permitted to do any injury (in the least kind) to the heathen 
people ; and, if any offend in that way, let them receive due cor- 
rection. If any of the savages pretend right of inheritance to all 
or any part of the lands granted in our patent, we pray you endea- 
vor to purchase their title, that we may avoid the least scruple of 
intrusion." 

We know of only one relative of Mr. Cradock who came 
to this country, and his name was George Cradock, mentioned 
by Douglas and Hutchinson as an inhabitant of Boston. 

We cannot better close the notice of Medford's founder 
and friend than by giving a copy of his Will, which has 
never till now been printed : — 

" Last Will and Testament of Maihew Cradock. 

" I, Mathew Cradock, of London, merchant, being in perfect 
memory and bodily health, — thanks be given to God therefor, — 
do hereby make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in 
manner and form following; that is to say, — 

" I bequeath my soul into the hands of the Almighty God, trust- 
ing, by the merits of the death and passion of our Lord Jesus 
Chri.-t only, to obtain remission of all my sins. My body, when it 
shall please God to separate it from my soul, I recommend to the 
earth, in assured confidence of a glorious resurrection at the great 
and dreadful day of judgment. 

" As to my outward estate, wherewith God of his goodness hath 
endowed me, I have ever accounted myself but a steward thereof; 
therefore humbly entreat the Almighty to enable me so to demean 
myself in disposing thereof as that I may, through his mercy in the 
merits of Christ, be always prepared to give a comfortable account 
of my stewardship. 

" 1 do hereby order, in the first place, that all sure debts as are, 
any manner of way, justly due and owing to any person whatsoever, 
be truly and fully satisfied and paid : the accounts of the widow of 
Stephen Benister, late of London, cloth-worker, deceased, that the 
same be answered and (committed) to the use of my executors ; and 
for dealing with one Henry Colthirst, if Mr. Pennoyde, who is best 
acquainted with the business, see it to be due, which is challenged, 



MATHEW CRADOCK. 



91 



I order it to be answered with consideration for the time, all just 
debts paid. The remainder of my estate I give and bequeath as 
followeth : — 

" To the poor of the parish of St. Peter's, the poor in Broad 
Street, where I served my apprenticeship, forty pounds sterling; to 
the poor of St. Swithin's, where I dwelled, one hundred pounds, to 
be employed as a stock for their use, and the benefit thereof to be 
distributed yearly at the discretion of the greater number in the 
vestry. This to be taken out of the third part of my estate, which, 
by the custom of the city of London, is at my own disposing. 

"One third part of my whole clear estate, my debts bring paid 
and satisfied, I give and bequeath to my precious, dear, and loving 
wife, Rebeccah Cradock; one other third part of my estate, accord- 
ing to the ancient custom of the city of London, I do give to my 
daughter, Damaris, and to such other child or children as it shall 
please God to give me by my wife, Rebeccah. Moreover, I do give 
and bequeath to my said dear and loving wife all my household 
stuff and plate at my house in London, where I dwell, and at a 
house I hold at Rumford, in Essex, as also the lease of my dwell- 
ing-house in London. Only, out of my plate and household stuff 
aforesaid, I give to my said daughter, Damaris, to the value of fifty 
pounds, in such particulars as my said wife shall order and appoint 
the same. Moreover, I do give to ray loving wife aforesaid, to be 
by her enjoyed during her natural life, the one-half of all the estate 
I now have or shall have in New England, in America, at the time 
of my decease ; and, after the decease of my wife as aforesaid, I 
do give and bequeath the moiety of my movables and immova- 
bles hereby intended to be enjoyed by my wife during her natural 
life, unto my brother, Samuel Cradock, and his heirs male. And, 
for the other moiety of my estate in New England aforesaid, I 
hereby give and bequeath the same to my daughter Damaris, and 
the issue of her body, to be lawfully begotten ; and, for want of such 
issue, to my said brother Samuel, and his heirs male aforesaid. And 
my will is, that when my wife shall marry, that in such case her then 
intended husband, before their marriage, shall become bound to my 
said brother and his heirs in five thousand pounds of lawful money 
of England not to sell away or alienate any part of the moiety of 
my lands hereby intended and bequeathed to my wife, and subse- 
quently to him, during her natural life, and that he shall have at the 
time of her decease in personal estate therefor my brother and his 
heirs to enjoy after the decease of my said wife at least for the full 
value of five hundred pounds sterling in movable goods. And 
whosoever shall marry my daughter Damaris, I do hereby will and 
order, that, before marriage, he likewise shall enter into like bond, 
with the like covenants and conditions ; in case my said daughter 
depart this life without issue, or either of the parties before mentioned, 
both or either of them, hereby enjoined to seal the said several 
bond, which shall refuse or neglect to do the same, or to deliver the 



92 HISTOEY OF MEDFORD. 

said bond or bonds to my brother or his heirs then being, in legal 
and lawful manner, I do hereby declare, that, immediately from and 
after such marriage respectively, the moiety of the estate hereby 
intended to the party so marrying, and not giving the bond as afore- 
said, shall be, and I do hereby bequeath the same to my said brother 
Samuel and his heirs, any thing before mentioned to the contrary 
notwithstanding. 

" Moreover, I do give to my brother, Samuel Cradock, and my 
sister, his wife, five hundred pounds ; and to every one of the 
children of my said brother I do give one hundred pounds. More- 
over, to his son Samuel, now student in Emanuel, in Cambridge, I 
do give for his maintenance for three years forty pounds per annum ; 
and to his son Mathew, for his better preferment, whereby to place 
him with an able merchant, two hundred pounds. And I do give 
twenty pounds yearly to my said brother Samuel towards the 
maintenance of my brother and sister Sawyer ; and to my sister, 
after the decease of her husband, I do give two hundred pounds. 
Item : To Dorothy Sawyer, daughter to my said sister Sawyer, I 
give, for her better preferment, in case she will be advised by my 
wife in her marriage, two hundred pounds ; and to the rest of my 
sister Sawyer's children I do give to every of them fifty pounds. 
To my maid-servants five pounds every of them. Item : To my part- 
ners that ventured with me and were my servants and party-venturers 
in the East-land trade, namely, to Thomas Hodlow and Edward 
Lewis, six hundred pounds apiece, if they accept of it for their 
part, and declare themselves willing thereunto within three months 
after the publishing of this my Will, or else to have their sevei'al 
equal one-eighth part of the clear profits of the trade aforesaid, 
from the time that I promised the same, till the amount for the 
same shall be perfected, which is to be done by their help and 
endeavors. Item : I do desire and entreat Mr. William Corbine to 
assist my wife aforesaid, whom I make sole executor of this my last 
Will and Testament, to get in my estate, and to see my debts paid 
and my Will performed. 

" Given as my act, last Will, and Testament, this 9th day of 
November, 1640. "Mathew Cradock. 

" Witness hereto : Edward Lewis, William Alney, Richard Howell. 

"Entered and recorded the 12th of February, 1662, by 

" Thomas Danforth, 

" Recorder." 

This will of Mr. Cradock sounds somewhat peculiar in 
our ears ; and we presume it is not a fair specimen of that 
legal precision in words so necessary then in such a docu- 
ment. To give six hundred pounds to each of his partners 
in a land speculation was a new way of settling an outstand- 



CIVIL HISTORY. 93 

ing account. We cannot too much admire the wise and 
Christian provision he makes for his wife. When a husband, 
by his Will, dooms the mother of his children to comparative 
poverty, he is guilty of a most brutal baseness. A crime 
kindred to this is that of a father who, by his Will, plunges 
his unmarried daughters into a situation of dependence 
and want, for which he has not prepared them, and in 
which they must suffer through life. We do not learn from 
Mr. Cradock's Will how extensive his territorial property in 
Medford was, or what was the amount of his whole invest- 
ment here. After his death, a part of his farm in Medford 
was sold to Mr. Ed. Collins, who pays to Mrs. Cradock XI 20, 
to Samuel Cradock and Sons £100, and to Damaris Cradock 
and her husband £230. The condition attached to his be- 
quest to his niece, Miss Dorothy Sawyer, is proof that he had 
a wise-judging wife, and that said wife had a provident 
husband. 

There is no record of Mr. Cradock's last illness or death 
known to us. It is presumed he died in 1644 ; because, in 
our county registry, deeds are found in that year from his 
agent, and in the next year from the agents of his executors. 



CHAPTER III. 



CIVIL HISTORY. 

When the Europeans took possession of North America, by 
the right of discovery, their entry of lands, countries, and 
continents was deemed by them as legal ownership for their 
sovereign. The discoveries of John and Sebastian Cabot, 
Bartholomew Gosnold, and others, were understood to give 
to James I., of England, the coasts and country of New 
England. The king accordingly claimed, in the eighteenth 
year of his reign, the entire continent between the Atlantic 
and Pacific Oceans. In that same year, he granted to " the 
Council of Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the 
planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of New England, 



94 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



in America," "all that part of America lying and being in 
breadth from forty degrees to forty-eight degrees of north 
latitude, and in length of and within all the breadth afore- 
said throughout the mainland, from sea to sea," — " to be 
holden of him, his heirs, and successors, as of his manor of 
East Greenwich, in the county of Kent, in free and common 
sockage, and not in capite, nor by knight's service ; '' the 
grantees " yielding and paying therefor the fifth part of the 
ore of gold and silver which should happen to be found in 
any of the said lands." 

Medford was included in the territory granted, Dec. 30, 
1622, by the Plymouth Company to Robert Gorges. It was 
the tract "commonly called or known by the name of the 
Messachusiack," lying " upon the north-east side of the bay, 
called or known by the name of the Messachusett." It 
extended "ten English miles towards the north-east, and 
thirty English miles unto the main land, through all the 
breadth aforesaid." 

Hutchinson says that this grant, being loose and uncertain, 
was never used. 

March 19, 1628 : The Council of Plymouth, under their 
common seal, by a deed indented, granted and sold to Sir 
Henry Roswell and five others " all that part of New Eng- 
land, in America, which lies and extends between a great 
river there, commonly called Monomack (Merrimack), and a 
certain other river there, called Charles ; being in the bottom 
of a certain bay there, commonly called Massachusetts." 

These are the first grants, under legal authority, of the 
territory within which Medford stands. The Council also 
sold " all the lands being within the space of three English 
miles on the south of Charles River and Massachusetts Bay, 
and within the same space on the north of the river Mono- 
mack, and of all parts of said rivers and bay, and from the 
Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west." 
" Upon the petition of said Henry Roswell and five others, 
and their associates, twenty in number, to have and to hold to 
them, &c, by the same tenure, and incorporated them by the 
name of ' The Governor and Company of the Massachusetts 
Bay in New England." 

Holding under these grants and by these titles, the Go- 
vernor and Company of Massachusetts Bay made grants of 
lands to companies and individuals for towns and plantations, 
usually annexing certain conditions to their grants ; such as, 



CIVIL HISTORY. 95 

that a certain number of settlers or families should, within a 
stated time, build and settle upon the same ; or that the 
gospel should be regularly preached, or a church gathered 
upon the granted premises. In this manner, forty-four towns 
were constituted and established within the Plymouth and 
Massachusetts Colonies before the year 1655, without any 
more formal act of incorporation. Among the oldest are the 
following : Plymouth, 1620 ; Salem, 1629 ; Charlestown, 
1629; Boston, 1630; Medford or Mystic, 1630; Water- 
town, 1630 ; Roxbury, 1630 ; Dorchester, 1630 ; Cambridge 
or Newton, 1633 ; Ipswich, 1634 ; Concord, 1635 ; Hing- 
ham, 1635; Newbury, 1635; Scituate, 1636; Springfield, 
1636; Duxbury, 1637; Lynn, 1637; Barnstable, 1639; 
Taunton, 1639 ; Woburn, 1612 ; Maiden, 1649. 

London, May 22, 1629 : On this day " the orders for 
establishing a government and officers in Massachusetts Bay 
passed, and said orders were sent to New England." 

Although, in the first settlement of New England, differ- 
ent sections of country were owned and controlled by 
" Companies " in England, yet the people here claimed and 
exercised a corporate power in the elections of their rulers 
and magistrates. This was the case with Medford. 

To show what form of government our ancestors in Med- 
ford recognized and supported, we subjoin the following 
records : — 



"Oct. 19, 1630: First General Court of Massachusetts Colony, 
and this at Boston: Present, the Governor, Deputy- Governor, Sir 
Richard Saltonstall, Mr. Ludlow, Capt. Endicott, Mr. Nowell, Pyn- 
chon, Bradstreet. Since their arrival here, the first form of their go- 
vernment was that of Governor, Deputy-Governor, and Assistants ; 
the Patentees with their heirs, assigns, and associates, being free- 
men. But now, in this General Court, they agree on a second form, 
as follows ; proposed as the best course : For the freemen to have 
the power of choosing Assistants, when they are to be chosen ; and 
the Assistants, from among themselves, to choose the Governor 
and Deputy-Governor, who, with the Assistants, to have the power 
of making laws, and choosing officers to execute the same. This was 
fully assented to by the general vote of the people and the erection 
of hands." 

May 25, 1636 : Mr. Bishop, as magistrate, appointed to 
keep the county court at Salem. 

1643 : Massachusetts Colony had thirty towns, and was 



96 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



divided into four counties, — Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, 
and Essex. 

1646 : Selectmen were empowered to try causes in a town 
where the magistrate could not, or where he was a party. 

The first mention of Medford in the public records of the 
Province is the following : — 



*» 



"At a Court of Assistants at Charlestown, 28th Sept., 1630. It 
is ordered that there shall be collected and raised by distress out of 
the several plantations, for the maintenance of Mr. Patrick and Mr. 
Underbill, the sum of £50, viz. : out of Charlton, £7 ; Boston, £11 ; 
Dorchester, £7 ; Rockbury, £5 ; Watertown, £11 ; Meadford, £3 ; 
Salem, £3 ; Wessaguscus, £2 ; Nantascett, £1." , 

It appears from the records that the inhabitants of Med- 
ford did not receive legal notice of their incorporation as a 
town till fifty years after the event. Wishing to be repre- 
sented in the General Court, they petitioned for an act of 
incorporation, and were answered, that " the town had been 
incorporated, along with the other towns of the province, by 
a e general act ' passed in 1630 ; and, under this 'act,' it had 
at any time a right to organize itself and choose a representa- 
tive without further legislation." Thus Medford was an 
incorporated town in 1630. The first representative was 
Stephen Willis, elected Feb. 25, 1684. The annual meeting 
was always held in February. 

In the absence of early records, we are left to conjecture, 
from what afterwards appeared, what existed in the earliest 
times. We therefore presume that the first settlers of Med- 
ford did as their neighbors did ; that is, organized a munici- 
pal government, which should have the usual powers of 
levying and collecting taxes, opening and repairing roads, 
guarding the public interest, and securing the common 
peace. 

The mode of "warning a town-meeting," in the early 
times, may be new to many of our day. It ran thus : — 

" To Mr. Stephen Hall, jun., Constable of Medford, Greeting : 
You are hereby required, in His Majesty's name, to warn the free- 
holders and other inhabitants of Medford to meet at their meeting- 
house, the first Monday of March next ensuing the date hereof, by 
eight o'clock in the morning ; then and there to choose a Constable, 
Selectmen, Town-clerk, and other town-officers, as the law directs. 
And all persons, to whom the said town is indebted, to bring in 
their accounts, and lay the same before the said town ; and the 



CtviL HISTORY. 97 

town-treasurer for said Medford is hereby required to give unto 
said town, at said meeting, a particular account of the disposing of 
the said town's money ; and whatsoever else may be needful, proper, 
and necessary, to be discoursed on and determined of at said meet- 
ing. Hereof you may not fail, as you will answer your default at 
the peril of the law. 

" Dated, in said Medford, Feb. 14, 1702, in the fourteenth year 
of His Majesty's reign. 

" By other of the selectmen of said Medford. 

"Jno. Bradstreet, 

" Town-clerk." 

Among the oldest records existing, we have proof of what 
we have said, as follows : — 

"The first Monday of February, in the year of our Lord 1677, 
Goodman John Hall was chosen Constable by the inhabitants of 
Meadford for the year ensuing. Joseph Wade, John Hall, and 
Stephen Willis, were chosen Selectmen for ordering of the affairs of 
the plantation for the year ensuing. John Whitmore, Daniel Wood- 
ward, Jacob Chamberlain, John Hall, jun., Edward Walker, Walter 
Cranston, Patrick Hay, Andrew Mitchell, and Thomas Fillebrown, 
jun., took the oath of fidelity. "Joseph Wade, 

"Town-clerk." 

This was probably the simple organization of the civil 
government of Medford soon after our ancestors found them- 
selves planted in their new homes. A more complex form 
of municipal agencies was not needed ; especially as the cele- 
brated Rev. James Noyes preached here a year, and established 
that church discipline which, in those days, took care of every 
body and every thing. 

March 8, 1631 : " It is ordered that all persons whatsoever 
that have cards, dice, or tables, in their houses shall make 
away with them before the next Court, under pain of 
punishment." 

April 12, 1631: "Ordered that' any man that finds a 
musket shall, before the 18th day of this month (and so 
always after), have ready one pound powder, twenty bullets, 
and two fathom of match, under penalty of 10s. for every 
fault." Absence from public worship, 5s. for each time. 

To be a freeman was a high object with every man. 
Several of the inhabitants of Medford took the entire oath, 
and could therefore vote in the election of Governor and 
Assistants. At a session of the General Court, May 18, 
1631, it was thus voted : — 

13 



98 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" To the end the body of Commons may be preserved of honest 
and good men, it is likewise ordered and agreed, that for the time to 
come no man shall be admitted to the freedom of this body politic 
but such as are members of some of the churches within the limits 
of the same." 

" A freeman must be orthodox, a member of the church, 
twenty years old, and worth £200." At a later period, 
March 4, 1645, the General Court " ordered that the free- 
man's oath shall be given to every man of or above the age 
of sixteen years ; the clause for the election of magistrates 
excepted." All the male inhabitants of Medford complied 
with this law. 

To know what oath our fathers took, we subjoin the form, 
as ordained by the General Court, May 14, 1634 : — 

Freeman's Oath. "I, , being by God's providence 

an inhabitant and freeman within the jurisdiction of this Common- 
weal, do freely acknowledge myself to be subject to the government 
thereof, and therefore do here swear, by the great and dreadful 
name of the ever-living God, that I will be true and faithful to 
the same, and will accordingly yield assistance and support there- 
unto, with my person and estate, as in equity I am bound, and will 
also truly endeavor to maintain and preserve all the liberties and 
privileges thereof, submitting myself to the wholesome laws and 
orders made and established by the same ; and further, that I will 
not plot nor practise any evil against it, nor consent to any that 
shall so do, but will timely discover and reveal the same to lawful 
authority, now here established, for the speedy preventing thereof. 
Moreover, I do solemnly bind myself, in the sight of God, that, 
when 1 shall be called to give my voice touching any such matter 
of this state wherein freemen are to deal, I will give my vote and 
suffrage as I shall judge in mine own conscience may best conduce 
and tend to the public weal of the body, without respect of persons 
or favor of any man. So help me God, in the Lord Jesus Christ." 

In 1643, the Court " ordered, that if any freeman shall 
put in more than one paper or corn for the choice of any 
officer, he shall forfeit £10 for every offence ; and any man, 
that is not free, casting in any vote, shall forfeit the like sum 
of £10." 

The ballots used at elections were corns and beans : corns, 
yeas ; beans, nays. 

The conditions of voting in towns was fixed by the Gene- 
ral Court as early as April 17, 1729. " Voted that no 



CIVIL HISTORY. 99 

person but what has been rated Is., at least, to the last pro- 
vince-tax more than the poll-tax, laid in said town, shall be 
admitted to vote." The constable seemed to be a remarkably 
large part of the executive head in the early days. 

At "General Court, held at Newtowne, May 14, 1634, 
Mr. Thomas Mayhew is entreated by the Court to examine 
what hurt the swine of Charlestown hath done amongst the 
Indian barns of corn, on the north side of Mystic ; and 
accordingly the inhabitants of Charlestown promiseth to give 
them satisfaction." If tradition be true, porcus has long been 
a singularly troublesome genus to our excellent neighbors. 

Sept. 3, 1634 : Mr. Oldham appointed " overseer of the 
powder and shot and all other ammunition for Medford." 

General Court, March 3, 1635 : — 

" Whereas particular towns have many things which concern 
only themselves, and the ordering of their own affairs, and dispos- 
ing of business in their own town, it is therefore ordered that the 
freemen of any town, or the major part of them, shall only have 
power to dispose of their own lands and woods, with all the privi- 
leges and appurtenances of the said towns, to grant lots, and make 
such orders as may concern the well ordering of their own towns, 
not repugnant to the laws and orders here established by the 
General Court ; as also to lay mulcts and penalties for the breach 
of these orders, and to levy and distrain the same, not exceeding 
the sum of £20 ; also to choose their own particular officers, as 
constables, surveyors for the highways, and the like." 

Sept. 8, 1636: The General Court order, "that hereafter 
no town in the plantation that has not ten freemen resident 
in it shall send any deputy to the General Courts ; those 
that have above ten, and under twenty, not above one ; be- 
twixt twenty and forty, not above two ; and that have above 
forty, three, if they will, but not more." This law may 
explain why Medford was so long unrepresented in the 
General Court. 

Nov. 5, 1639: "Ordered that every town have liberty, 
from time to time, to choose a fit man to sell wine, to be 
drank in his house; provided that, if any person shall be 
made drunk in any such house, or any immoderate drinking 
suffered there, the master of the family shall pay for every 
such offence <£5." 

Some perplexity and more discontent arose from the fact 
that the lands of Medford were owned by non-residents to 
an extent unknown in any other plantation of the Colony. 



100 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Gifts of land, within its boundaries, had been made by the 
General Court to Mr. Cradock, and some perhaps to Messrs. 
Wilson and Nowell. If so, the taxes on these lands were 
paid by the two last gentlemen into the treasuries of the towns 
where they lived ; and therefore Medford could derive no 
profit from them. This mode of taxation became unpopular, 
and the General Court passed the following law, June 2, 
1641: "It is ordered, that all farms that are within the 
bounds of any town shall be of the town in which they lie, 
except Meadford." Thus singularly distinguished from every 
other town in the Colony, the General Court afterwards de- 
clared Medford " a peculiar town." Peculiar it certainly was 
in having much of its territory first owned by a London 
merchant, and in not being able to tax all the land within its 
borders. The grant of the General Court is as follows : — 

For the Ordering of Prudentials. — "At a General Court held at 
Boston, 15th Oct. 1684, in answer unto the petition of Messrs. 
Nathaniel Wade and Peter Tufts, in behalf of the inhabitants of 
Meadford, the Court grants their request, and declares that Mead- 
ford hath been, and is, a peculiar town, and have power as other 
towns as to prudentials." 

To illustrate what direction the laws and regulations of 
Medford must have generally taken, it will be necessary to 
know those "one hundred laws " established by the General 
Court in 1641, and called " The Body of Liberties " These 
laws were drawn up by Rev. Nathaniel "Ward, of Ipswich, 
and Rev. John Cotton, of Boston, as the most competent 
men. To show the expansion of their minds and the sound- 
ness of their hearts, we will give here two or three speci- 
mens of those laws : — 

i 

" There shall never be any bond slavery or villanage." — " If any 
good people are flying from their oppressors, they shall be suc- 
cored." — "There shall be no monopolies." — "All deeds shall be 
recorded." — "No injunction shall be laid on any church, church- 
officer, or member, in point of doctrine, worship, or discipline, for 
substance or circumstance." — " In the defect of a law in any case, 
the decision is to be by the word of God." 

1650 : Notwithstanding the straightened condition of the 
Colonies, they were doing a great work. They were wiser 
than they knew. By a fortunate neglect on the part of the 
mother country, these distant colonies were shaping their local 



CIVIL HISTORY. 101 

politics, strengthening their ancestral faith, enforcing their 
puritan customs, and nursing, without knowing it, their 
national independence. 

To show that Medford had early records of its own, it is 
only necessary to copy the following vote of its inhabitants, 
Feb. 25, 1683 : — 

" Stephen Willis was chosen to keep the records for the use of 
the plantation;" and, in 1684, it is ordered, — "That the select- 
men shall have the Town-book for their use at any of their meetings, 
as they stand in need of it, provided the town-book be carefully 
returned to the clerk again." 



*©" 



Law processes were not expensive. In 1685, Medford 
orders the following payments : — 

"To Mr. Nath. Lyon, for the attachment and serving £0 6 8 
To entering the petition at Boston to the General 

Court 026 

For copy out of the records 6 

Caleb Brooks, for serving the attachment • . . 10 

For entering action 023 

Stephen Willis, for charge at court 16" 

Oct. 19, 1686: S. Willis appointed to record all births 
and deaths occurring in Medford. 

As soon as Medford could send a representative to the 
General Court it did so ; and the first was chosen in 1689. 
The records run thus, on the choice of a representative " to 
stand for and represent them in the Session or Sessions of the 
General Court or Assembly, appointed to be begun and held 

at Boston, on the day of May next." <£3 voted for his 

services. 

April 21, 1693 : " The ' Orders and By-laws ' prepared for 
Medford were discussed, accepted, and ' allowed.' : 

In the election of town-officers, they only could vote who 
had taken the " oath of fidelity ; " which oath was in relation 
to the town what the "freemen's oath" was in relation to 
the Colony. It will be seen, by the following record, that 
their town-officers in Medford were few : — 

"March 5, 1694: Caleb Brooks was chosen Constable for the 
year ensuing. Major Nathaniel Wade, Lieutenant Peter Tufts, 
and Stephen Willis, were chosen Selectmen. John Bradshaw and 
John Hall, jun., were chosen Surveyors of highways. Ensign 



102 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Stephen Francis is chosen Tything-man. John Hall, sen., and 
Lieutenant Peter Tufts, are chosen Viewers of fences ; and Stephen 
Willis is chosen Town-clerk." 

Here are but eight gentlemen to fill all the offices, and do 
all the labor required for one year ! It shows us how little 
there was to be. done. 

It belongs to this history to say, that Medford did not 
flourish much after Mr. Cradock's patronage and property 
were withdrawn. In 1702, there seemed to have been small 
prosperity ; for, at that time the people say : " We, the town 
of Medford, being little and small, and unable to carry on 
public charges in so comfortable a way as is to be desired," 
&c. This low condition induced the inhabitants to ask 
grants of money or waste-lands from the government ; and 
also to petition the General Court to annex contiguous por- 
tions of Charlestown, Cambridge, and Andover. One, of 
these movements for benefiting the town took place May 10, 
1714, when they voted to choose a Committee to consult 
with the selectmen of Charlestown, to see if they will con- 
sent to annex " the first division of Charlestown lots bounded 
on Medford." These aims are not lost sight of; for, in 1726, 
the town chooses a Committee to petition Charlestown on the 
subject of annexing certain districts. The petitioners ask 
" for some part of Charlestown adjoining to Medford on the 
north side of Mystic River." May 6th of that year, they 
chose another Committee to examine the Province Records, 
and see if Medford has any right to land lying in Charlestown ; 
and, if so, to prosecute the same at the town's expense. 

To show our fathers' care for public duty, we have the fol- 
lowing vote, May 19, 1701: Voted "that Sergeant Stephen. 
Willis assist in the Committee, if his brother Thomas Willis 
should be out of the way." Town-meetings were sometimes 
held in private houses, though generally at the tavern. 

The .mode of collecting taxes from unwilling debtors was 
called " an outcry for payment." When a person would not 
pay, the constable was commanded to take his goods and sell 
them " at an outcry for payment," — public auction. Through- 
out the entire early history of our town, there appears the 
most jealous care taken with regard to the disposal of money ; 
and the minute directions given to public functionaries, 
respecting the smallest items, are most remarkable. 

March 2, 1702 : The town voted, for the first time, to pay 



CIVIL HISTORY. 103 

their treasurer; and John Bradstreet was chosen, with a 
salary of 10s. per annum. , . 

March 17, 1702 : We have a singular instance ol precision 
of dates ; for, on this day, the town-clerk says : — 

« At said meeting the town reckoned with Ensign John Brad- 
shaw ; and there was due to him, upon the balance of all accounts, 
both for work done for the town and minister's board, from the 
beginning of the world unto this day, the sum of £16. 16s. lOd. 
Errors excepted." 

At the March meeting the officers of the town were 
chosen ; and much stir was there through the village on that 
day. The result of one of them is thus recorded : — 

« At a town-meeting legally convened at Medford, March 6th 
1710 Lieut. Stephen Willis chosen Moderator; Peter Seccomb 
chosen Constable; Ebenezer Brooks, John Hall, and Samuel Wade, 
Selectmen ; John Whitmore, jun., and Thomas Dill, Surveyors 
of highways; Benjamin Peirce and Isaac Farwell, Viewers of 
fences ; Ichabod Peirce and John Albree, Wood-corders ; Nath. 
Peirce, Hog constable. At said meeting, Lieut. Ihomas Willis 
was chosen Tything-man and Sealer of weights and measures. At 
said meeting, the Selectmen were chosen Assessors lor this year. 

1711 : " Voted that the town's law-book be kept this year 
at the house of the Treasurer, for the use of the town." 

The town voted " to prosecute those persons who had un- 
lawfully voted aforetime." May 7, 1705 : Stephen Willis 
was objected to, " because he voted for himself." The idea 
of our forefathers, touching taxing and voting, was this : 
That no man should be allowed to vote on pecuniary attairs 
who held no pecuniary interest in the town in which he 
lived To give a specimen of their jealous care, we tran- 
scribe the following. Twelve of the most respectable 
inhabitants of Medford addressed the following note to the 
Selectmen : — 

"March 3, 1718.— Gentlemen: Our desire and petition to you 
is, that our town-meeting may be regulated according to law; for 
we know that those men that made the law were wiser than we 
are and therefore we, the subscribers, will by no means be the 
breakers of the same; and therefore, if our town-meeting be not 
regulated according to law, we must enter this as our dissent 



against it " 



104 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

This vote will receive its explanation from the reply of 
the selectmen, which was as follows : — 

" In answer to the desire and request of some of our inhabitants, 
that our town-meeting may be regulated according to law, we, the 
subscribers, have openly declared, at said meeting, that those of our 
inhabitants, and only those, that are worth or have in possession to 
the value of £20, ratable estate, may vote at said meeting." 

1718: The new names found in the lists are as follows: 
Francis Laithe, Joseph Serjant, John Chadson, John Goold, 
William Manson, Peter Edes, Joseph Ballard, John Choub, 
Aaron Cleveland, William Wicker, Jonathan Tompson, Mr. 
Semer, John Watson, Thomas Sanders, Luke Blashfield, 
Nath. Laurans, Samuel Haeson, Abram Cumins, Nath. Locke, 
John Winship, John Whiten. 

May 12, 1718: Medford voted "to petition the General 
Court for some out-lands for the further benefit of the 
town." 

1721 : The General Court gave the town X160, on their 
application for aid ; and the town voted to loan it out to the 
inhabitants in sums not exceeding <£10, nor less than £5, to 
any one person ; interest, five per cent. 

April 25, 1728 : " Voted that the town of Medford will 
take out of the County Treasury their part of the sixty 
thousand pounds granted by the Great and General Court." 

Oct. 27, 1727 : The number of voters present at a town- 
meeting was forty-five ; a fair average. They vote not to 
send a representative this year. 

The love of office was cold in the hearts of our fathers, 
compared with the burning desire for it in our day. It was 
so common to refuse even the highest offices, that penalty 
for refusing became necessary, and our records are full of 
such notices as the following : — 

1728 : " Mr. Peter Tufts, refusing to take the office of Constable, 
paid in his money, as the law directs, to the town-treasury." 

At a later period (1751), the town voted, that if any one 
refused to take the office to which he had been elected, he 
should pay into the treasury XI. 6s. 8d., lawful money. In 
1632, the people of Plymouth enact, " that whoever refuses 



CIVIL HISTORY. 105 

the office of Governor shall pay £20, unless he was chose 
two years going." 

Feb. 9, 1729 : The inhabitants of Medford took a deep 
interest in supporting the rights secured by the Charter ; and 
readily paid their share in supporting agents. On this day 
they voted to carry round a subscription-paper to see how 
each one will subscribe " for the support of our agents in 
England." They gave some of the earliest expressions of 
enlightened patriotism, and presented some of the firmest 
resistance to the encroachments of royal authority. On the 
31st of January, 1732, voted that "it was declared by the 
inhabitants that it was their desire that their representative 
should at all times act with the greatest caution, and stand 
for the defence of the privileges granted us by his Majesty 
in the royal Charter." 

1726 : The town presented a petition to the inhabitants of 
Charlestown, praying that the lands on the north side of 
Mystic River might be set off to Medford. This was em- 
phatically refused. 

1738 : Another petition, of the same import as that above, 
received the same reply. 

June 19, 1734: Voted that "the town petition the Great 
and General Court for a tract of the unappropriated lands 
of this Province, to enable the said town of Medford the 
better to support the ministry and the school in said town." 
A record of the reply is as follows : — 

" At a Great and General Court or Assembly for his Majesty's 
Province of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, begun and held 
at Boston, upon Wednesday, the 28th of May, 1735, and continued 
by several adjournments to Wednesday, the 19th of November 
following : — 

"20 May, 1735: A petition of the inhabitants of the town of 
Medford, showing that the said town is of the smallest extent of 
any in the Province, and yet their town-charges extremely high, so 
that the maintenance of ministry and school is very chargeable to 
them, and therefore praying for a grant of* some of the waste lands 
of the Province to be appropriated for the support of the ministry 
and schoolmaster in said town : — 

" In the House of Representatives, read and ordered that the 
prayer of the petition be so far granted as that the town of Med- 
ford is hereby allowed and empowered, by a surveyor and chair- 
man on oath, to survey and lay out one thousand acres of the 
unappropriated lands of the Province, and return a plat thereof to 

14 



106 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



this Court, within twelve months, for confirmation for the uses 
within mentioned. 

" In Council, read and concurred. — Dec. 29th : Consented to, 

"J. Belcher. 
" A true copy, examined, 

"Thade. Mason, 

" Deputy-Secretary." 

This grant was accepted ; and Mr. Wm. Willis and Capt. 
John Hall were chosen to carry the whole matter through. 
The consequence was a selection of one thousand acres on 
the Piscataqua River, near the Merrimac. This tract was 
called the " Town's Farm ; " but it was not of great value. 

Dec. 3, 1737 : Here we find the first record of the drawing 
of jurymen in the town. John Albree and Benjamin Tufts 
are drawn for the Supreme Court. Few jurymen were 
needed ; but Medford undoubtedly furnished its share from 
the beginning. 

It may be interesting to many to see another record of a 
town-meeting. Familiar names will be found to recur ; but 
offices have increased : — 



" At a town-meeting, legally convened at Medford, March 7, 



1748, Mr. Andrew Hall was chosen Moderator. 



Selectmen. 



Dea. Benj. Willis, 

Capt. Samuel Brooks, 

Lieut. Stephen Hall, 

Thomas Seccomb, Town-clerk 

Benj. Parker, Town-treasurer. 

Joseph Tufts, \ 

Thos. Brooks, \ Assessors. 

Edward Hall, ) 

Stephen Willis, chosen Constable, refused 
to serve, and paid £10, old tenor. 

Francis Whitmore, 2d Constable, but re- 
fused to serve, and paid £10, old tenor. 

Samuel Reeves, 3d Constable. He re- 
fused to serve, and paid £10, old tenor. 

Samuel Page, hired to serve as Constable, 
for £25, old tenor. 

Jonathan Hall, ) m ., . 

Henry Fowle, ) ^thing-men. 

Stephen Bradshaw, 

Lieut. J 

Stephen 

Andrew Hall, Esq 

Capt. Samuel Brooks, 

Lieut. Stephen Hall,jun., 

Zechariah Poole, 



l iSradshaw, •j 
John Francis, \ 
i Greenleaf, ) 



Surveyors 
of Highways. 



Fence-viewers. 



Hog-reeves. 



Samuel Brooks, jun, 

William Tufts, 

John Hall, 

Stephen Greenleaf, 

John Bishop, 

Ebenezer Francis, 

John Tufts, \ 

Jacob Polly, \ Wood-corders. 

Thomas Brooks, ) 

Jonathan Watson, ) Surveyors of 

Capt. Saml. Brooks, ) Boards and Timber. 

Samuel Reeves, Pound-keeper. 

Samuel Francis, ) Haywards or 

Benjamin Tufts, } Field-drivers. 

Simon Bradshaw, ) ^ 

Joseph Tufts, | De er-reeves. 

Dea. Thomas Hall, Sealer of Leather. 
Benjamin Parker, Sealer of Weights and 

Measures. 
Stephen Bradshaw, Grand-juror. 



A Committee to manage the affair of obtaining some 
part of the lands now belonging to Charlestown, with 
the inhabitants thereon. 



Ebenezer Brooks, 

Joseph Tufts, \ A Committee to audit the Town-treasurer's accounts 

Lieut. Stephen Hall, jun., I for the year past, 1747, and the town's accounts like- 
Thomas Brooks, I wise." 



CIVIL HISTORY. 



107 



Nov. 28, 1748: Voted to sell the "Town's Farm" at 
auction. This vote was reconsidered ; and, May 15, 1749, 
"Andrew Hall, Capt. Samuel Brooks, and Richard Sprague, 
were chosen a Committee to manage the affairs for selling the 
town's farm." It was sold soon after. 

The right of admitting inhabitants to the town was a jeal- 
ously guarded right. It was the custom to warn every new 
comer out of town. A strange hospitality ! This notifica- 
tion legally prevented such new comer from gaining " town- 
habitancy." The notification was also sent to the Court 
of Sessions, and there recorded under the name of Caution. 
This habit continued till the time of the Revolution. Paupers 
were kept out by the most stringent prohibitions. The town 
voted that if any person, male or female, omitted to comply 
with the law respecting admission, such person should be 
fined forty shillings. ?j 

1750 : Premium paid to the " collector of the town-taxes 
was sixpence on the pound. 

1753 :' We give here a specimen of the petitions offered 
by Medford to the government for grants of land : — 

"To his Excellency William Shirley, Esq., Captain- General and 
Governor-in- Chief in and over Bis Majesty's Province of the 
Massachusetts Bay, in New England, to the Bonorable Bis 
Majesty's Council, and to the Bonorable Bouse of Representatives. 

" The petition of the inhabitants of the town of Medford, in the 
County of Middlesex, humbly showeth that there are certain tracts 
of land lying on the southerly and northerly sides of said Medford, 
which are bounded as follows, viz. : The southerly tract, lying in 
Charlestown, is bounded northerly with Mistic or Medford River, 
westerly with the westerly bounds of Mr. Smith's farm, southerly 
with the southerly bounds of Mr. Smith's, Mr. James Tufts's, and 
Mr. Jonathan Tufts's farms, and then running from the south-easterly 
corner of said Jonathan Tufts's farm eastward straight to the west- 
erly side of Colonel Royal's farm, again westerly with the westerly 
bounds of Colonel Royal's farm, again southerly with its southerly 
bounds, and then running from the south-easterly corner thereot 
eastward straight to Medford River. 

" The northerly tract, lying also in Charlestown, is bounded south- 
erly with said Medford's northerly line and the southerly bounds of 
Mr. Symmes's farm, westerly with the line that divides Mr. Sym- 
mes's from Mr. Gardner's farm, northerly with Woburn and Stone- 
ham lines, easterly on Maiden line. 

» Which lands, with their inhabitants, we pray may be added to 
the contracted limits of the said town of Medford, together with a 



108 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

proportionable part of the said town of Charlestown's rights and 
privileges, according to the quantity and circumstances of said lands ; 
at least, those pieces of land, and the privileges which are within 
the lands hereby petitioned for. 

" And inasmuch as the said town of Charlestown has conveyed 
the land called the gravel-pit, with the marsh adjoining, containing 
about half an acre, that they used for getting gravel, laying timber, 
&c, for the southerly half of the bridge commonly called Mistic 
bridge, and the ' Causey ' thereto adjoining, to Capt. Aaron Cleave- 
land and Mr. Samuel Kendal ; for which consideration, they have 
covenanted and agreed with the said town of Charlestown to keep 
the half of the bridge and the ' Causey ' aforesaid in good condition 
for ever. 

" We pray that, in case the before-described lands are laid to said 
Medford, it may not be subjected to any cost or charges on account 
of the before-mentioned part of said bridge and the Causey 
adjoining. 

" Which petition we humbly conceive will appear reasonable by 
what follows : — 

" First, The contents of the said town of Medford are exceed- 
ingly small, amounting to but about two thousand acres, the inhabit- 
ants very few, and consequently its charges very great compared 
with other towns. B.esides, as to brick-making, upon which our 
trading and a great part of our other business depends, it very much 
fails. 

" Secondly, The said town of Charlestown almost encompasses 
the town of Medford, and therefore (notwithstanding the great 
necessity) it cannot receive large addition from any other town. 

" Thirdly, Those that now dwell on the said tracts of land, and 
those who heretofore dwelt on them, have, from time to time, enjoyed 
the liberty of attending the public worship in Medford without 
paying any thing to the taxes there. Neither is there any proba- 
bility that any of the inhabitants of said lands, or any other 
persons that may settle on them, can, with any conveniency, attend 
the public worship in any other town. Moreover, the inhabitants 
of the said southerly tract are within about half a mile of said 
Medford meeting-house, the greatest part of them, and the rest 
within a mile. 

" And the inhabitants of the northerly tract before mentioned 
are, the farthest of them, but about two miles from said meeting- 
house. And great part of the lands, in both the said tracts, are 
now owned and possessed by those who are with us in this petition, 
and some of the inhabitants of said Medford. 

" Besides, we apprehend it to be a very great hardship for the 
inhabitants of said tracts of land to be obliged to go, almost all of 
them, more than four miles, and others more than seven miles, to 
town-meetings, trainings, &c. 

" Furthermore, we would humbly move that some of the honor- 



CIVIL HISTORY. 109 

able members of the General Assembly may be appointed to view 
the premises petitioned for, &c. 

" In consideration of what is before mentioned, and other moving 
arguments that might be used in this affair, we hope your Excel- 
lency and Honors, in your great wisdom and goodness, will grant 
our petition. Although the inhabitants of said Charlestown have 
not been pleased to be so free (when petitioned) as to let us know 
whether they would gratify us herein or not. 

" So shall your petitioners, as in duty bound, ever pray. 
"Medford, Dec. 13th, 1753. 

""We, the subscribers, being owners of a considerable part of 
the said lands, and having dwelling-houses thereon, do hereby sig- 
nify that we heartily join with the inhabitants of Medford in the 
foregoing petition. 

" Samuel Brooks, 
Ebenezer Brooks, 

rj -p i Committee 

L - rooL ' C for Medford. 

Joseph Tufts, 

Stephen Hall, J 

" Caleb Brooks, Benjamin Parker, Benjamin Teal, James Tufts, 
Ebenezer Marrow, Jonathan Tufts, John Jenks, Robert Crane, 
John Degrushy. 

" This petition was granted April 17, 1754." 

"March 4, 1754 : Samuel Hall was chosen Constable, and 
refused to serve ; and the town took up with £5, old tenor, 
inasmuch, as he is a lame person." 

May 8, 1754: Voted that any person have a right to 
" erect an engine for the weighing of hay, and have the pro- 
ceeds thereof." 

Aug. 5, 1754 : "Voted that the part of the Excise Bill of 
his Majesty which relates to the private consumption of wine 
and spirits shall not be in full force." Was not this rebellion 
outright ? Did it foreshadow the scenes of 1854 ? 

March 3, 1755 : Fish-officers were first chosen. 

May 10, 1756 : The town petitions " the General Court to 
consider them in the next valuation, for that the said town 
are greatly overdone upon sundry considerations." Voted to 
raise £90 (lawful money) for town expenses for this year. 

March 6, 1758: Voted "that Samuel Brooks, Esq., Capt. 
Caleb Brooks, Zech. Poole, Stephen Bradshaw, Capt. Francis 
Whitmore, be a Committee to prefer a petition to the General 
Court for an abatement of taxes." 

1768 : Voted " that a Committee be chosen to draw up 
and lay before the town some salutary method or plan for 



110 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

discouraging extravagance, and promoting industry and fru- 
gality amongst us." This step shows that our fathers were 
ready and willing to lighten their burdens by generous self- 
denials. If they seemed to take morality the natural way, 
they show the very spirit of self-sacrifice in their calculating 
shrewdness. The Committee make the following report: — 

" We, the subscribers, being chosen a Committee to consider of 
some method to discourage extravagance, idleness, vice, &c, and 
promote industry and frugality, do present the following resolves, 
passed in the House of Representatives, Feb. 26, 1768, for an 
example to this town. 

" In the House of Representatives, Feb. 26, 1768. Whereas, 
the happiness and well-being of civil communities depend upon 
industry, economy, and good morals ; and this House taking into 
serious consideration the great decay of the trade of the Province, 
the scarcity of money, the heavy debt contracted in the late war 
still remains on the people, and the great difficulties by which they 
are by these means reduced, therefore — 

" Resolved, That this House will use their utmost endeavors, by 
example, in suppressing extravagancies, idleness, and vice, and pro- 
moting industry, economy, and good morals, in their respective 
towns. And, in order to prevent the unnecessary exportation of 
money, of which this Province has been, of late years, so much 
drained, it is further resolved that this House will, by all prudent 
means, endeavor to discountenance the use of foreign superfluities, 
and encourage the manufactures of this Province. 



"Thomas Seccomb. 
Benjamin Hall. 
Joshua Simonds. 
Thomas Brooks. 



Samuel Angier. 
John Bishop. 
Willis Hall. 



"Medford, April 1, 1768." 



1770 : Voted to raise XI 30 for town expenses, and to give 
eleven-pence on the pound as premium to the collector. 

1773 : Meeting for the annual choice of town-officers. 
"Voted that it be on the first Monday of March for the 
future." The town-meeting was, from earliest days, a marked 
occasion by the boys. The school had the day as a vacation. 
The gallery of the meeting-house was ornamented with 
urchins from six years old to half-men of fifteen, who had 
come there to learn, unconsciously, the science of republican- 
ism. The front seats were all filled, and each boy was 
eagerly watching the progress of events below. If a new 
road, wharf, grist-mill, engine, schoolhouse, or candidate, — in 



CIVIL HISTORY. Ill 

short, if any thing new was to be brought forward, the boys 
had already taken sides on the question, and waited impa- 
tiently for its introduction to the meeting. "When the long- 
delayed debate ensued, each gallery-politician swelled with 
joy and hope as a favorite speaker rose. This ebbing and 
flowing of youthful emotions were the republican educational 
influences brought to bear on the boys of every village ; and 
the lad of twelve years felt an interest in politics, while he of 
twenty had settled his choice of party and men, and was 
ready to vote understandingly. The absence of this repub- 
lican pupilage in Europe makes a proper republic there almost 
an impossibility. 

May 13, 1773 : The new question arose whether a clergy- 
man, not settled, nor ministering to any parish, should be 
freed from taxation. After much reflection, the town " voted 
not to abate Rev. Mr. Edward Brooks's poll-tax." 

March 6, 1775: All town-meetings were warned "in his 
Majesty's name," till the one of this date, which dropped 
royalty as a power among us. The form soon substituted 
was, " In the name of the government and people of Massa- 
chusetts Bay." 

By comparing the officers in Medford, as seen in the years 
1748 and 1782, it will appear that the separation from Eng- 
land made not the slightest difference in the municipal 
organizations or modes of elections. The only difference 
discoverable is, that before the "Declaration of Independ- 
ence " the town-meetings were warned " in his Majesty's 
name," but after 1776 they were warned " in the name and 
by the authority of the people ; " and, after the adoption of 
the Constitution, "in the name of the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts." This, not needing any change in their 
political system, shows that the first system of town-officers 
and municipal elections was upon the idea of republican 
equality and submission to popular majorities. True demo- 
cracy grew up as a necessity among our fathers ; and from 
these town organizations resulted a true republican education, 
out of which " Independence " grew. Enlarged and Chris- 
tian patriotism is the result of wise and liberal town adminis- 
trations. We cannot too highly prize our separate town 
municipalities. They are the primary schools of the republic, 
and do for the state what individuals do for the family. 

Compare the records of the town-meeting in 1748, and the 
one hereto appended : — 



112 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



" At a town-meeting, legally convened in Medford, March 4, 
1782, Benjamin Hall, Esq., chosen Moderator ; Richard Hall, 
Town-clerk. 



Selectmen. 



Benjamin Hall, Esq., 

John Bishop, 

Joshua Simonds, 

Capt. Ebenezer Hall, 

Richard Hall, 

Jonathan Patten, Treasurer 

Joshua Simonds, 

Willis Hall, 

James Wyman, V Assessors 

Moses Billings, 

Capt. Salnuel Brooks, 

Jonathan Foster, ) n . , , 
t t <■. i Constables 

James lutts, jun., J 

Moses Hall, ) m .,. 

Isaac Tufts! | T ? thln g- men - 

Hezekiah Blancbard, 

Thomas Bradshaw, 

Capt. Caleb Brooks, 

Gershom Williams 

Timothy Newhall, 

Noah Floyd, 

James Willey, 

Hutcherson Tufts, 

Ebenezer Thompson, 

Noah Floyd, 

Nathan Tufts, 

Ebenezer Thompson, 

Hutchinson Tufts, 

Moses Hall, Surveyor of Hoops. 



\ Surveyors 
| of Highways. 

Fence-viewers. 



Field-drivers. 



Hog-reeves. 



Surveyors 
of Lumber. 



Samuel Kidder, 

William Burditt, 

Benjamin Floyd, jun., 

William Bradshaw, Pound-keeper. 

Timothy Newhall, Sealer of Weights and 

Measures. 
Samuel Reeves, 
Thomas Bradshaw, 
John Fulton, 
Moses Hall, 
Sergt. Blanchard, 
John Wade, Deer-reeve. 
Gardner Greenleaf, ) 
John Leathe, 
Jonathan Foster, 
Jonathan Patten, 
Ebenezer Hall, jun., 
Aaron Hall, 
Richard Hall, 
James Wyman, 
Moses Hall, Salt- measurer. 
Capt. Caleb Brooks, Grand-juror. 
Simon Tufts, Esq., 
Capt. Ebenezer Hall, 
Richard Hall, ^ Fire-wardens. 

Willis Hall, 
Capt. Isaac Hall, 
Benjamin Tufts, Collector; fees, five 

pence per pound. 



Wood-corders. 



Sealer 
of Leather. 

Bread-weighers. 



To audit the 
Treasurer's Accounts. 



Our fathers, in their civil capacities, legislated upon almost 
every thing. We append here an example; Aug. 29, 1779. 
The prices fixed are in the depreciated currency, which may 
be understood by referring to our remarks on " Curren- 



cy: 



"Tailors, for making a suit of clothes for a man . . £15. Os. 

Blacksmith, shoeing a horse all round £4. 10s. 

West India Toddy, one bowl 18s. 

West India Flipp, one mug 18s. 

New England Toddy, per bowl 12s. 

New England Flipp, a mug 12s. 

Breakfast 18s. 

Common meat supper 20s.' 



The subject of bridges seems to have had a wizard agency 
over the feelings of our fathers. When one was proposed to 
run from Charlestown to Boston, there were not a few in 
Medford who opposed it ; because they " thought it would 
ruin the lightering business upon our river." Our merchan- 



CIVIL HISTORY. 



113 



dise, to a large amount, was carried by water to and from 
Boston ; and it was supposed that our bricks especially could 
be carried by teams with less cost and breakage. But the 
friends of the measure outnumbered its opposers, and, on the 
7th of February, 1785, we have these two important records : 
Voted to oppose Mr. Cabot's petition for building a bridge 
from Leachmere's Point over Charles River ; and to petition 
the General Court that " the petition of Thomas Russell, Esq., 
and others be granted for building a bridge over Charles 
River where the ferry now is." 

June 12, 1786: "Voted to petition the General Court to 
prevent the building of a bridge across Mystic River at Penny 
Ferry." It was thought that this bridge from Maiden to 
Charlestown would almost ruin the navigation of Mystic 
River. For the same reason, the town voted, May 9, 1796, 
to oppose the building of Chelsea Bridge. 

1795 : A revision of the Constitution is proposed to the 
people. Medford gives fifty-three votes against it, and one 
for it. 

1795 : Voted £500 for town-expenses. 1797 : Two thou- 
sand three hundred dollars for the same. 

March 7, 1796 : Voted to pay assessors two dollars per day 
while making taxes. This is the first record of the kind. 

March 6, 1797 : For the first time, the town voted to pay 
the town-clerk for his services ; and they gave him twenty 
dollars. 

March 6, 1809 : " Voted that the Moderator be desired to 
read the address from the Legislature to the people. The 
town thereupon passed a unanimous vote of approbation." 

At the town-meeting, held March 5, 1810, the following 
officers were chosen for the year ensuing : — 



Fitch Hall, Moderator. 

Abner Bartlett, Town-clerk. 

Nathan Wait, 

Fitch Hall, 

Jonathan Brooks, V Selectmen. 

Luther Stearns, 

Benjamin Tufts, 

Joseph Manning, Treasurer. 

Caleb Brooks, \ 

Ephraim Bailey, \ Assessors. 

Joseph Swan, ) 

Nathan Wait, ) n . , , 
t u w t Constables. 

Joseph Wyrnan, j 

Jeduthan Richardson, ) Surveyors 

Samuel Tufts, jun., } of Highways. 



Gersham Teel, 
James T. Floyd 



^ \ Tyth 



ing-men. 



Andrew Blanchard, 
William Bradbury, 
Benjamin Tufts, 
Jeduthan Richardson, 
Joseph Wyman, 
Jonathan Harrington, 
Calvin Turner, 
Thatcher Magoon, 
Timothy Dexter, 
John Dixen, 
Darius Wait, 
Jonathan Harrington, 
Timothy Dexter, 
John Burrage, 
Ephraim Bailey, 
Joseph Church, 
Jonathan Warner, 



Cullers of 
Hoops and Staves. 

> Fence-viewers. 



Surveyors 
of Lumber. 



Measurers 
of Wood. 



15 



114 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



David Willis, Clerk of the Market. 

Fitch Hall, 

John Hosmer, 

Jeduthan Richardson, V Fire-wards. 



Seth Tufts, 
Joseph Blodgett, 
Joseph Church, 
Joseph Wyman, 



Andrew Blanchard, I I Ebenezer Symonds, 



Abner Bartlett, 

Richard Hall, | To audit the 

jntcii uau, > Treasurer ' s Accounts. 

Nathaniel Hall, ) 

Hezekiah Blanchard, \ To execute 

Nathan Wait, the 

Andrew Blanchard, ) Fish Act. 



Field-drivers 

and 

Hog-reeves. 



Gershom Tufts, 

Daniel Tufts, 

Andrew Blanchard, } m ,, ., . , . 

c i T) 1 f To sell the right 

Samuel Buel, > e . , • j?- . 

Fitch Hall, S ° f Uklng El3h - 
Joseph Bucknam, Pound-keeper. 



The Hon. Peter C. Brooks offered a clock as a gift to the 
town, expressing in his letter a true and deep feeling of 
attachment to the inhabitants. The town accepted the 
generous donation, and in their letter express their gratitude 
and their sense of high respect for their prosperous towns- 
man. To this letter Mr. Brooks replies as follows : — 

" Boston, March 12, 1810. 

"Dear Sir, — The vote of the inhabitants of the town of Medford, 
on the subject of the clock, I received with those feelings which 
this general expression of thanks is calculated to inspire ; and you 
will permit me to add, sir, that the pleasure I experienced is not a 
little heightened by the very agreeable manner in which the 
knowledge of this transaction has been conveyed to me. 

"The gift to which it alludes, I now, with great satisfaction, con- 
firm ; and shall be amply rewarded, should it be considered an 
ornament to the town in which many of my days have been happily 
spent, and a convenience to its inhabitants, for whom I entertain a 
very sincere regard. " I am, &c, 

"P. C. Brooks. 

"Abner Bartlett, Esq." 

A new bridge across Charles River, from Charlestown to 
Boston, is proposed ; and Nov. 1, 1824, the town voted to 
petition the Legislature in favor of its erection. They pro- 
posed to call it " Warren Bridge." The bridge was built, 
though, as many thought, against the pledged faith of a 
former Legislature. 

1828 : Heretofore the Selectmen had met at times agreed 
upon by themselves ; but now the town voted " that it shall 
henceforth be the duty of the Selectmen to meet on the first 
Monday of every month for business;'" and no business 
shall be done by them at other times. 

" May 7, 1836 : Voted that in future the practice or cus- 
tom of allowing the town-officers an annual supper, at the 
town's expense, be dispensed with." 







.■"'[ruth 



9 C . 73 > <^> o /£^ 



CIVIL HISTORY. 115 

April 6, 1840 : The town adopted the following by- 
laws : — 

" 1. If any one deface a building, fence, &c, he shall be fined 
not more than twenty dollars. 

" 2. If any one neglect to keep in repair any cellar-door which 
projects into the street, he shall be fined $20. 

" 3. If any cellar-door be left open in the night, without a light 
to reveal it, the owner shall be fined $20. 

" 4. No awnings to project more than eight feet from the front 
wall. 

" 5. No gate swing across the street ; and no coal left on side- 
walk ; penalty $5. 

" 6. Notice to build shall be given ; penalty $5. 

" 7. No post put up in the street without permission from the 
selectmen ; penalty $10. 

" 8. No obstructions of the street ; penalty $5. 

" 9. No dirt, ashes, &c, put in the streets ; penalty $10. 

" 10. No wheelbarrow or cart on side-walks ; penalty $5. 

"11. Snow-balling, throwing stones, &c, whereby persons may 
be annoyed in the streets ; penalty $5. 

" 12. No bathing in exposed places ; penalty $5. 

"13. Fast driving forbidden ; penalty $10. 

" 14. Clerk of the market shall be appointed annually. 

"15. Dogs without a collar, between 1st May and 1st October, 
to be killed by the police. 

" 16. No dog shall disturb any neighborhood, and after being 
warned, penalty $1 for each day after notice is served. 

" 17. Police shall see to the peace of the town, and complain of 
all disorderly boys. 

" 18. All fines to be paid into the treasury." 

While these by-laws show the care of the inhabitants of 
Medford for externals, the following votes show a deeper 
care for moral interests : — 

" Feb. 13, 1843 : Voted that all good citizens should cease using 
spirituous and intoxicating liquors, and should unite to prosecute 
those who sell them." 

"March 8, 1847: Voted that a Committee of twelve be chosen 
to enforce the License Law. 

" Voted that the Selectmen be instructed to oppose the granting 
of licenses for the sale of intoxicating drinks in this town ; and 
draw on the treasury for all necessary expenses in this duty. 

" Voted that said Committee prosecute without lenity in all cases 
of the breach of the license law. 

" Voted that the overseers of the poor be instructed not to pur- 



116 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

chase any thing for the poor and alms-house, where intoxicating 
drinks are sold." 

July 19, 1852: u "Whereas the Legislature of this Common- 
wealth passed at the last session a law for the suppression of places 
for the sale of intoxicating drinks, therefore — 

" Resolved, that the officers of this town be instructed to execute 
the law in every instance of its violation." 

These votes and resolutions contrast strongly •with, the vote 
of 1831, when the town voted not to restrain retailers. 

Feb. 15, 1855 : " The town-agency for the sale of spirituous 
liquors," say the Selectmen, " has been in existence two and 
a half years. The agent has given general satisfaction. The 
experiment thus far has been satisfactory, and the agency is 
sufficient to meet all the reasonable demands of the inhabit- 
ants for spirituous liquors." 

March 13, 1848 : Voted to give the Selectmen one hundred 
dollars per annum for their services. 

The petition of certain inhabitants of Medford, "Woburn, 
and West Cambridge, to be set off from their several towns, 
and to be united in a new town, named Winchester, called 
forth the following vote of the town of Medford : — 

March 4, 1850 : " Voted that the Selectmen be instructed to 
oppose the petition of E. S. Parker and others of South Woburn, 
to set off a part of Medford to a proposed new town." 

Strenuous efforts were made to defeat the petition, but 
without success. Some inhabitants of Medford, who would 
be included in the new town, opposed this separation from 
their old friends. The act of separation and the act for the 
incorporation of Winchester were passed together, April 30, 
1850. The act defines the bounds of Winchester, but does 
not state what territory was taken from each of the old towns, 
out of which the new town is made. The regulations and 
conditions respecting debts, paupers, congressional districts, 
&c, were made, which usually accompany such acts. Thus 
Medford lost a large tract of excellent land, and became 
separated territorially from many long-cherished and valuable 
friends. 

The last record of town-officers, elected at the annual 
March meeting, which we can insert, is that of 1850 ; and it 
is as follows : — 



EXPENSES. 



117 



John Sparrell, Moderator. 

Jos. P. Hall, Town-clerk. 

James 0. Curtis, } 

Chas. Caldwell, > Selectmen. 

Timothy Cotting, ) 

George W. Porter, Treasurer. 

Horatio A. Smith, } 

Samuel Joyce, > Assessors. 

Henry Withington, } 

John T. White, ^ 

Benj. R. Teel, > Overseers of the Poor. 

Alex. Gregg, ) 

Timothy Cotting, 

Horatio A. Smith, 

Benj. R. Teel, 

Hosea Ballou, 2d, )■ School Committee. 

Henry Withington, 

J. M. Sanford, 

Chas. S. Jacobs, 

Alex. Gregg, Surveyor of Highways. 

John T. White, ^ 

Elisha Tolman, > Constables. 

Amos Hemphill, ) 



John T. White, Collector of Taxes. 

Eleazer Davis, J 

Willard Butters, > Field Drivers. 

Thos. Gillard, ) 

Pyain Cushing, ^ 

Peter C. Hall, > Fence Viewers. 

Nathan W. Wait, ) 

John T. White, ^ 

Amos Hemphill, > Fish Committee. 

Elbridge Teel, ) 

Henry II. Jacquith, Pound Keeper. 

John Sparrell, G. T. Goodwin, 



Jas. 0. Curtis, 
J. T. Foster, 
E. Stetson, 
J. Loring, 
S. Laphani, 
0. Joyce, 
J. Stetson, 
J. Taylor, 
P. Curtis, 
P. Cushing, 
E. Hayden, 



A. Hutchens, 
R. E. Ells, 
H. Taylor, 
C. S. Jacobs, 

B. R. Teel, 
E. Waterman, 
J. Sanborn, 
T. T. Fowler, 
J. Clapp, 

B. H. Samson, 



s 

3 



O 



EXPENSES. 

The first book kept by the Treasurer is lost. From the 
second, which begins in 1729, and others of later date, the 
following items of expenses are taken. The modern modes 
of book-keeping were not known to our fathers. There 
were sometimes two or three rates made in a year, varying 
from £20 to £200. The money collected by the Constable 
was paid into the treasury ; but the accounts of the Treasurer 
were not examined until a new Treasurer was chosen. Then 
a Committee was appointed to examine the accounts, and 
transfer the books. A natural consequence of such book- 
keeping was, that the accounts of one year ran into those of 
the next ; and, thus mixed up, the items of several years 
were summed up in one footing. After 1775, more regular- 
ity obtained. Another fact should be noticed in the follow- 
ing accounts, — the bewildering depreciation in the value of 
money. For fluctuations in the currency, see the tables. 



Samuel Brooks, Treasurer from 1729 to 1732 
Amount paid for town-expenses, 3 years 

Ebenezer Brooks, Treasurer from 1735 to 1743 
Amount paid for town-expenses, 8 years 

Benjamin Parker, Treasurer from 1743 to 1749 
Amount paid for town-expenses, 6 years 



Old Tenor. 

£1,446 9 1 
2,265 7 
4,886 10 1 



118 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Aaron Hall, Treasurer from 1761 to 1767. Lawful Money. 

Amount paid for town-expenses $674 19 7 

James Wyman, Treasurer from 1767 to 1771. 

Amount paid for town-expenses, 4 years . . 2,162 12 2 

In these four years are included the expenses of building 
the meeting-house, in 1769. The pews paid the greater 
part. 

Lawful Money. 

Expenses from 1771 to 1772 £558 3 4 

„ „ 1777 to 1778 1,414 4 4 

„ „ 1778 to 1779 (by tax) .... 3,061 18 6 

Borrowed 2,850 

(Depreciated money) 5,311 18 6 

1779. Expenses (raised by tax) 8,814 

Borrowed 8,635 4 4 

Extra expenses on account of the war . . 17,449 4 4 

1780. Raised by tax 101,401 19 10 

Borrowed 5,383 7 

(Depreciated money) 106,785 6 10 

1786. March, to March, 1787 1,440 15 

1790. Expenses of town for one year .... 861 5 6 

1800. „ „ „ „ „ $3,188.11 

1810. „ „ „ „ „ 4,317.16 

1820. „ „ „ „ „ 5,348.78 

1830. „ „ „ „ „ 5,608.93 

1835. „ „ „ „ „ 15,300.15 

1840. „ „ „ „ „ 17,314.21 

1845. „ „ „ „ „ 20,004.26 

1850. „ „ „ „ „ 15,186.18 

Since the year 1820, all the public buildings have been 
erected, such as town-house, school-houses, and engine- 
houses. The establishment of a fire-department and the 
opening of new streets have swelled the recent expenses. 

When the government of the United States distributed 
their surplus revenue among the people, the amount that came 
to Medford was three thousand eight hundred and seventy- 
eight dollars fifty-nine cents. The inhabitants voted, April 
3, 1837, to receive it according to the terms of the grant, and 
to use it in paying the debts and expenses of the town. 

It may be interesting to compare the expenses of 1818 and 
1855. They are as follows. For 1818 : — 



MEDFORD A TOWN. 119 

Minister's salary and grant of wood $500.00 

Poor 1,225.46 

Paid Charlestown for paupers 241.00 

Roads 507.63 

Schools 740.00 

Abatement of taxes 258.47 

Town-officers 150.00 

Collecting taxes 270.00 

Expenses for opposing a new road 150.00 

Interest on town-debt 141.00 

For injury of horse on drawbridge 50.00 

Sexton, $25.00 ; Miscellaneous expenses, $94.56 . . . 119.56 

$4,353.12 

The expenses from Feb. 15, 1854, to Feb. 15, 1855, were 
as follows : — 

Public schools " $7,138.82 

Highways 2,031.10 

Bridges 37.71 

Street lamps 192.27 

Poor — alms-house 3,571.86 

Fire department 2,046.04 

Salaries and fees 1,482.67 

Miscellaneous expenses 3,123.09 

Notes payable and interest paid 5,284.00 

Amount of town and county taxes for 1854 .... $28,726.40 

Receipts and income 2,284.43 

Balance in treasury 7,909.23 

Town debt — 1855 34,100.00 



MEDFORD A TOWN. 

Mr. Frothingham, in his excellent History of Charlestown, 
1846 (p. 92), says: — " Medford was not a town: it was 
rather a manor, owned by one of the leading inhabitants of 
Charlestown." 

We shall very good-naturedly dissent from this statement, 
and show cause. 

We have every reason to suppose that the town-officers in 
Medford were like those in the adjoining plantations. Our 
first records speak of Selectmen, sometimes called " Seven- 
men," because these seven men acted as governors of the 
town, assessors, and referees. They were also called " Towns- 



120 HISTOKY OF MEDFORD. 

men," because they represented the whole town, and acted 
for the inhabitants. There was a Town-clerk, who recorded 
the doings of the Selectmen and the town, and also granted 
attachments in civil actions. There were Surveyors of high- 
ways, whose duty it was not only to direct the laborers, but 
to see that every one did his share. There was the Consta- 
ble, who warned public meetings, and collected the taxes. 

In the town-meetings, which were always opened with 
prayer by a deacon or some aged member of the church, a 
moderator presided. Fines were imposed for non-attendance. 
Each one had an equal right to speak. The Court ordered, 
in 1641, that "every man, whether inhabitant or foreigner, 
free or not free, shall have liberty to prefer a petition, bring 
forward a motion, or make a complaint, so it be done in con- 
venient time, due order, and respectful manner." 

The voting related mainly to making of fences, laying out 
of roads, regulating the pasturage of cattle, ringing the 
swine, killing of wolves, bears, and foxes, and assessing rates. 
All these acts of the assembled inhabitants imply the posses- 
sion of legal, civil, and political rights ; just the rights which 
constitute a regularly organized body-politic. 

When Deputy-Governor Dudley, and those with him, 
came to this neighborhood, they visited several places : they 
named one Boston, another Charlestown, another Meadford, 
another Roxbury, another Watertown, and another Dorches- 
ter. On Wood's map of 1635, Medford is designated by the 
same mark as all other towns. Each of these places above 
named became towns ; and each in the same way, by be- 
coming settlements ; and each claimed, and each as a town 
possessed, the same legal, civil, political, and municipal 
rights. In proof that each of them was a town, separate and 
distinct, and was so considered and so treated by the General 
Court, each one of them was taxed by the General Court as 
early as September 28, 1630, and each one continued to be 
so taxed. The Court put each one of them on the list of 
towns, and passed separate laws relating to each. If this 
does not constitute legal township, we know not what can. 
In these several towns, there must have been municipal laws 
and regulations for levying and gathering the amounts as- 
sessed. If either of these towns had been only an appendage 
to its neighbor, it would have been so considered by its 
inhabitants, so organized in its municipal government, and 
so treated by the General Court. But this was not the case 



MEDFORD A TOWN. 121 

with either of them. At this early period, not a foot of land 
in Medford was owned by any inhabitant of Charlestown. 
We have elsewhere shown who were the several purchasers 
after the death of Mr. Cradock. There is, therefore, no just 
warrant for considering Medford as "a manor," any more 
than Roxbury or Watertown. The early owners in these 
towns were few. Medford was never called " a manor " till 
1846. In all the old histories it is called a " town," in pre- 
cisely the same way as Boston and Dorchester. If it was 
not a town after the passing of the " act " of the General 
Court, it is not a town now ; for it has never been incorpo- 
rated since. And if it was not a town then, Boston, Roxbury, 
Charlestown, Dorchester, and Watertown are not towns now ; 
for they have never been incorporated since. 

It was called a " plantation," as other places were, because 
this was a common name adopted by the Company in Lon- 
don, and very naturally transferred here. The name ex- 
pressed the actual condition and incipient history of each 
town. It was sometimes, in the books, called Mistick, after 
the name of its river. It was sometimes called " Mr. Cra- 
dock's Farm," because that gentleman had introduced farm- 
ers to cultivate its lands, had impaled a park, had erected 
houses, built ships, and carried on an extensive fishery. He 
owned so large a part of the tract, and was so rich and dis- 
tinguished, that it would have been strange if his name had 
not attached to it. We have wondered why it has not always 
been called by his name. 

The " celebrated Rev. James Noyes " became the pastor 
and teacher of the inhabitants of Medford in 1634. If hav- 
ing a Christian minister, resident and laboring in a town, 
completed the idea of township in those days, then Medford 
surely had every thing required in the definition. 

Let us now look at the earliest records of Medford, and see 
what they prove. The first twenty -five or thirty pages of the 
first book of records are unfortunately lost, probably from 
carelessness about loose and decayed sheets. The next thirty 
pages are broken out of their places, and may be soon lost. 
We find the first records, which are preserved, noting down 
methodically, after the manner of those days, the usual 
doings of a legal town-meeting. No one can examine the 
old book, and not see that there was uniformity in the Town- 
clerk's records. It is most clear that the earliest records 
which are preserved are the regular continuation of the 

16 



122 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

earlier ones which are lost. And what do we find in the 
oldest records ? We find the Selectmen calling the annual 
town-meeting, in His Majesty's name, to choose the usual 
officers for the regulation of town-affairs, &c. The town 
speaks of itself as a town, taxes itself as a town, petitions 
the General Court as a town, and makes its laws like other 
towns ; and never is there the slightest hint that Medford is 
"not a town, but rather a manor." In the early and tedious 
controversy about the Mystic Bridge, its neighbors treated with 
it as a town ; its inhabitants took the oath of fidelity, and its 
municipal organization conformed, to the laws of the Colony. 

The author of the History of Charlestown says of Medford, 
that "the town, in 1638, commenced a suit, &c." Here 
Medford is called a town, in 1638, by Mr. F. himself, and is 
represented by him as acting in its corporate capacity in a 
legal process before the Quarter Court. If it had been only 
a " manor," its lord or owner would have been its sovereign ; 
and all its town-action, above described, could never have 
taken place. 

The same inference follows if we turn to the acts of the 
General Court. From 1630, the Court considered Medford 
a town, and treated it accordingly ; and, when the inhabitants 
petitioned for an act of incorporation, the Legislature sent 
them the following reply : that " the town had been incorpo- 
rated, along with the other towns of the Province, by a 
general " act," passed in 1630 ; and, under this act, it had at 
any time a right to organize itself and choose a representa- 
tive without further legislation." Here the highest authority 
of the Colony solemnly and emphatically declares Medford 
to be a town, a regularly incorporated town, by the 'same 
" act " as that for Boston, Charlestown, Watertown, Roxbury, 
and Dorchester. Thus Medford had been, from 1630, an in- 
corporated town, possessing all the civil, political, and muni- 
cipal rights consequent on that " act." 

Mr. Frothingham says : " All printed authorities speak of 
Medford as a town, and date its incorporation in 1630 ; but 
this appears to be an error." We are content to follow, in this 
matter, " all printed authorities," and the decision of the Legis- 
ature, and leave the novel supposition of 1846 to stand alone. 

Medford was called a peculiar town, but its peculiarity did 
not consist in being stripped of its political rights and corpo- 
rate organizations ; for, in the very enactment which calls it 
" peculiar," the General Court say it shall " have power, as 



CAUSES OF PROSPERITY. 123 

other toivns, as to prudentials." If it had rights " as other 
towns," and was treated by the Legislature " as other towns," 
in what did its peculiarity consist ? This question is easily 
answered. Its peculiarity consisted in having the major part 
of its territory owned by one gentleman, and he a resident 
in London. Mr. Cradock, the strongest and wealthiest friend 
of the Colony, had this grant of land in partial remuneration 
for his great outlays for the Company. He was sometimes 
excused from taxes. Here was another peculiarity, but no 
withdrawal or relinquishment of vested rights. This fact 
rendered town-laws more important. It required very strong 
and peculiar laws to regulate the fishermen, coopers, ship- 
carpenters, and farmers, whom Mr. Cradock had established 
here. Such laws could not be enforced except by a proper 
civil authority; and such authority every thing proves to 
have existed. 

Mr. Cradock's grants were not made till 1634—5 ; but 
Medford was taxed, " as other towns," in 1630. Here, there- 
fore, were four or five years in which it acted as an incorpo- 
rated town before Mr. Cradock came into possession of his 
grant. During those four or five years, it could not have 
been a " manor ; " but, at that time, it became a town ; which 
character it has possessed to this day unbroken, and which 
character was stamped upon it, " by a general act " of the 
government in 1630, and now remains in force. 



CAUSES OF PROSPERITY. 

After the English Parliament had assembled in 1640, the 
persecutions of the Puritans were stopped. Deep policy 
suggested this change of affairs in England ; and a conse- 
quence was, that emigration to New England ceased, and was 
not renewed with any spirit till 1773. New England, there- 
fore, was peopled by the descendants of those who emigrated 
between 1620 and 1640 ; and this fact we would mention as 
the first cause of prosperity. God sifted the kingdoms of 
the Old World that he might find wheat sufficiently good to 
plant in the virgin soil of the New; and, when planted, he 
kept it to himself, a chosen seed, till it should spread, and 
fill the land. ' 

Another cause of prosperity to New England was found 
in the institution of families. Each family was a unit, a 



124 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

state, a church ; and the father was both patriarch and priest. 
In these free and Christian families arose that intelligent and 
stubborn enterprise which could turn a wilderness into a 
garden, and barbarism into civilization. These families, un- 
fettered and individualized, were happy to unite with all 
around them for the surer attainment of their common end. 
One principle sanctified all hearts, one aim employed all 
hands. Here the motto was true, E pluribus unum ; " distinct 
like the billows, but one like the sea." 

The establishment of free schools was another most power- 
ful cause of prosperity to New England. This original idea 
had potency enough to work out the highest results of pri- 
vate and social good; the profoundest problems of life, 
government, and religion. It began in the right way, at the 
right place ; it put the lever where it could move the world. 
Free churches became the continuation of free schools ; taking 
up the process of instruction just where the schools had left 
it. Religion gave to learning its proper polarity. What 
would New England have been without its churches ? — a 
plantation without a sun. 

Another cause of prosperity was the independence of towns. 
Each municipality felt itself to be sovereign in the ordering 
of its own affairs, while it was a recognized part of the body 
politic. A town, like an individual, must have the habit of 
self-government. It cannot be ruled by the militia, but 
only by the combined wisdom of the whole population. 
While a general government is almost wholly employed in 
averting evil, a town possesses the power of doing positive 
good. When our New-England towns levied taxes, opened 
roads, gathered a militia, founded schools, and supported 
churches, they did thereby manage the great interests of the 
colony, and in one sense became national legislatures. 

Another cause of prosperity was the absence of the taxes, 
tolls, fees, restrictions, and monopolies of Old England. 
Here a man could do what he pleased in lawful work and 
trade, and could do as much as he wished. Here he could 
work at two or ten trades, if he was able. This was New- 
England free trade. 

Another cause of prosperity, consequent in some measure 
on the two last noticed, was the small number of laws made 
by the General Court. Society here had not reached that 
complicated state in which powerful political parties, fierce 
sectional jealousies, and conflicting moneyed aristocracies, so 



CAUSES OF PROSPERITY. 125 

often make legislation interminable, contradictory, and decep- 
tive. The diamond-cut-diamond system, now in such, terrible 
activity among us, was not known to our fathers. Their laws 
were only the republication of those few general principles 
of justice and humanity which are easily gathered from the 
sacred pages. Such legislation, while the most simple, was 
the most effective and the least changeable. 

Another cause of prosperity was the poverty of the soil, 
and the severity of the winter. Agriculture was the chief 
business and main support of society ; and to make the earth 
produce in six months sufficient food for twelve required an 
ingenuity of mind, a force of will, and a strength of muscle, 
which is synonymous with intellectual and moral greatness. 
If we would prpduce athletic frames, creative minds, and 
brave hearts, let the soil be light and thin. Our primitive 
granite soil produces the true granite men ; and one of them 
here in Medford can do as much as three Cubans under the 
line. The stern necessities, which grew out of the soil and 
climate of New England, became schoolmasters, teaching our 
fathers the highest lessons of intelligence, watchfulness, per- 
severence, and economy. 

" Man is the noblest growth our realms supply, 
And souls are ripened in our northern sky." 

If we wish to see a race that need not think, cannot plan, 
and will not work, we have only to find those who have 
every thing done for them. We therefore conclude that 
what has been called the " hard lot " of the New Englander 
has been the making of him. 

The causes of prosperity, so briefly noticed above, are 
introduced that we may here say, that each one of them has 
been brought to bear, in its true relation and natural force, 
upon the town of Medford, which is at this moment enjoying 
the distinguished benefits. With Medford before us, we 
conclude by saying, that these elements of growth have pro- 
duced, throughout New England, a remarkable activity of 
mind and body, a general diffusion of knowledge, an indomi- 
table perseverance of will, social and civil order, self-forget- 
ful patriotism, domestic love, and religious enthusiasm. 
These effects have, in their turn, become causes ; and the 
glorious results are extensive wealth, great moral influence, 
elevated Christian character, and solid happiness. 

" Surely the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, and 
God hath given to us a goodly heritage." 

t 



126 



HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 



CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN. 



Jonathan "Wade . 
Nathaniel Wade 
John Hall . . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Jonathan Wade . 
Thomas Willis . 
Nathaniel Wade 
John Hall . . 
Nathaniel Wade 
John Hall . . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Jonathan Tufts . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Peter Tufts . . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Peter Tufts . . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Peter Tufts . . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Stephen Francis 
Stephen Willis . 
John Francis 
Ebenezer Brooks 
John Bradshaw . 
John Whitmore 
Thomas Willis . 
Stephen Willis . 
Jonathan Tufts . 
Samuel Wade . 
Thomas Tufts . 
John Bradshaw 
Jonathan Tufts. 
John Bradshaw . 
Thomas Tufts . 
Ebenezer Brooks 
John Bradshaw . 
Ebenezer Brooks 
Stephen Hall . 
Thomas Hall 
John Hall . . 
Stephen Hall . 
John Willis. . 
John Hall . . 
Benjamin Willis 
John Hall . . 
Benjamin Willis 
Simon Tufts . . 
John Hall . . 



1676. 


Benjamin Willis 








. 1744. 


1678. 


Samuel Brooks . 








. 1745. 


1679. 


Benjamin Willis 








. 1746. 


1681. 


Jonathan AVatson 








. 1749. 


1683. 


Samuel Brooks . 








. 1750. 


1684. 


Isaac Royal . . 








. 1755. 


1685. 


Zachariah Poole 








. 1762. 


1689. 


Isaac Royal . . 








. 1763. 


1690. 


Stephen Hall 








. 1764. 


1693. 


Isaac Royal . . 








. 1765. 


1694. 


Benjamin Hall . 








. 1773. 


1695. 


Willis Hall . . 








. 1785. 


1696. 


Thomas Brooks . 








. 1788. 


1698. 


Willis Hall . . 








. 1789. 


1699. 


Ebenezer Hall . 








. 1790. 


1700. 


Richard Hall » . . 








1794. 


1703. 


John Brooks . . 








1796. 


1705. 


Ebenezer Hall . 








1798. 


1706. 


John Brooks . . 








1803. 


1707. 


Caleb Brooks 








1804. 


1708. 


Jonathan Porter 








1808. 


1709. 


Nathan Waite . . 








1810. 


1710. 


Nathaniel Hall . . 








1812. 


1711. 


Luther Stearns . . 








1813. 


1712. 


Jeduthan Richardsc 


in . 






1821. 


1713. 


Nathan Adams . . 








1822. 


1714. 


Turell Tufts . . . 








1823. 


1715. 


Joseph Swan . . 








1826. 


1717. 


Dudley Hall . . . 








1827. 


1718. 


Turell Tufts . . . 








1828. 


1719. 


John Howe . . . 








1829. 


1721. 


John B. Fitch . . 








1830. 


1722. 


John King . . . 








1831. 


1723. 


John Symmes, jun. 








1832. 


1724. 


Thomas R. Peck . 








1834. 


1725. 


Galen James . . 








1836. 


1726. 


James O. Curtis 








1837. 


1730. 


Galen James . . 








1838. 


1732. 


Lewis Richardson . 








1839. 


1733. 


Thomas R. Peck . 








1840. 


1734. 


Alexander Gregg . 








1841. 


1736. 


Timothy Cotting . 








1844. 


1737. 


Alexander Gregg . 








1845. 


1738. 


Henrv Withington 








1847. 


1739. 


Peter* C. Hall . . 








1849. 


1740. 


James O. Curtis 








1850. 


1742. 


Peter C. HaU . . 








1853. 


1743. 


Benjamin H. Samsc 


n 






1855. 



NAMES OF THE TREASURERS. 



Stephen Willis 1696. 

John Bradstreet .... 1700. 
Samuel Wade 1709. 



John "Whitmore 
William Willis . 
John Richardson 



1714. 
1725. 
1727. 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 



127 



Edward Brooks . 
Samuel Brooks . 
Stephen Hall . 
Edward Brooks . 
Benjamin Parker 
Edward Brooks . 
Thomas Brooks . 
Aaron Hall . . 
Thomas Brooks . 
James Wyman . 
Jonathan Patten 
Richard Hall 









1728. 


Jonathan Porter 








1790. 








1729. 


Isaac Warren • . 








1793. 








1733. 


Samuel Buel . . 








1791. 








1735. 


John Bishop . . 








1798. 








1743. 


Joseph P. Hall . 








1804. 








1750. 


Joseph Manning 








1808. 








1756. 


William Rogers 








1823. 








1761. 


Henry Porter. . 








, 1825. 








1763. 


Turell Tufts . . 








. 1827. 








. 1767. 


Timothy Cotting 








, 1836. 








. 1778. 


George W. Porter 








. 1837. 








. 1786. 













NAMES OF THE TOWN-CLERKS. 



J. Wade .... 
Stephen Willis . . 
John Bradstreet 
Stephen Willis . . 
Thomas Tufts . . 
William Willis . . 
Benjamin Willis 
William Willis 
Ebenezer Brooks, jun 
Benjamin Wdlis . 
Thomas Seccomb . 
Willis Hall . . . 
Richard Hall . . 
Benjamin Hall, jun. 



1674. 
1675. 
1701. 
1708. 
1718. 
1719. 
1721. 
1726. 
1728. 
1730. 
1745. 
1767. 
1770. 
1783. 



Andrew Hall 
Nathaniel Hall . 
Samuel Swan 
Nathaniel Hall . 
Luther Stearns . 
Nathaniel Hall . 
Abner Bartlett . 
Jonathan Porter 
Abner Bartlett . 
William Rogers 
Abner Bartlett . 
William D. Fitch 
Oliver Blake 
Joseph P. Hall . 



1792. 
1794. 
1796. 
1797. 
1803. 
1806. 
1810. 
1819. 
1820. 
1826. 
1827. 
1834. 
1836. 
1846. 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 



I would close this account of the civil history of Medford 
with a biographical notice of our most distinguished civilian ; 
and, lest the bias of a life-long veneration, or the pride of near 
blood relationship, should tempt me to eulogies beyond 
desert, I have judged it most proper to take the account 
given by Dr. John Dixwell, of Boston, Vice-President of the 
Massachusetts Medical Society, who knew him well : — 

"John Brooks was horn in Medford, Massachusetts, in May, 
1752. His father, Capt. Caleb Brooks, was a respectable farmer, 
much esteemed and beloved by his friends and neighbors. His 
mother was a woman of superior personal charms, and of remark- 
able talents, for one of her advantages and station in life. She 
early discovered in her son those faculties which were destined to 
raise him from the plough to the first station in society, and was 
solicitous to place him where he might cultivate them to advantage. 
We are probably much indebted to this excellent woman for the 



128 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

estimable traits of character displayed in the son. Our matrons 
give the first and most important impress of our moralists, our 
statesmen, and our heroes. Happy is the lot of those who have 
mothers of that superior excellence which rises above the vain show 
and glitter of life, whose pleasures centre in the care of their off- 
spring, in forming their habits and directing their minds to elevated 
sentiments and noble objects, whose greatest pride is in those 
splendid ornaments, — the virtues displayed by their children. 

" Mrs. Brooks had an excellent friend in her physician, Dr. 
Simon Tufts, at that time a very respectable practitioner in Medford. 
His high standing in our profession is evinced by his being enrolled 
in the list of our members previously to the present organization of 
the society, when its number was limited to seventy, and none 
were elected fellows but those who were the most distinguished 
practitioners in the State. Dr. Tufts observed the anxiety of the 
mother to elevate her son to a superior station in life, and encou- 
raged her to give him as good an education as their finances would 
permit. He was accordingly placed at the town-school, where he 
was taught the rudiments of science, and the Latin and Greek 
languages. Such was his proficiency in his scholastic studies, and 
so amiable and exemplary was his character, that he secured the 
friendship of Dr. Tufts, who took him into his family at the age of 
fourteen, to educate him for his profession. The skill and science 
of the instructor, and the indefatigable attention of the pupil, sup- 
plied the deficiencies arising from the want of a liberal education. 
His progress in medical science, and in judicious practical obser- 
vation, was such as to secure the confidence and respect of his 
master. 

" During his pupilage, the amiable traits of his character were 
more fully developed ; and he began to display that talent and fond- 
ness for military discipline which were eminently manifested at a 
subsequent period, and contributed to establish that erect and manly 
port for which he was so remarkably distinguished. In the hours 
of relaxation from study, he amused himself with the drill and exer- 
cise of the soldier. 'His manners were so gentle and attractive 
that he was the delight of all the village boys ; they collected about 
him as the chief source of their pleasures and amusements ; he 
formed them into a company, and trained and exercised them in all 
the duties of military discipline. Dr. Tuft's yard was often con- 
verted into a train-field, and displayed in miniature all ' the pomp 
and circumstance of glorious war.' These juvenile scenes are still 
recurred to with pleasure, by those who were engaged in them, as 
the happiest moments of their lives. 

" He continued, until he was twenty-one years old, under the 
tuition of Dr. Tufts, who then advised him to commence the prac- 
tice of physic in the town of Reading, and gave him a high recom- 
mendation to the people, as well qualified for the important trust, 
and worthy of their fullest confidence. He accordingly settled 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 129 

there, and was soon after married, and his prospects were fair for a 
very respectable establishment in his profession ; but he was des- 
tined to act a more conspicuous part in the great drama of life. 

" The storm which had been a long time gathering in our politi- 
cal horizon began now to assume a most portentous aspect, ready 
to burst over the country with destructive fury. The stout hearts 
and steady minds of our countrymen had been preparing for the 
shock, resolved to defend themselves against its tremendous power. 
The busy hum of warlike preparation was heard through the coun- 
try. Companies were formed in almost every town, who held 
themselves in readiness to march at a minute's warning. One of 
these companies was raised in Reading, and Brooks was elected to 
command it. He gave all the attention he could to this company, 
consistently with his professional duties ; and was active in his 
exertions to drill his men, and infuse into them that heroic spirit 
and ardent patriotism which animated his own breast. 

" He was, however, much perplexed to determine what course he 
ought to pursue in this momentous crisis. He had a strong attach- 
ment to his profession, and was deeply impressed with the moral 
obligations he was under to discharge the duties of it with fidelity. 
The kindly affections of his heart and the amenity of his manners 
qualified him to administer relief with peculiar acceptance, and 
gave the fullest promise of a skilful and popular physician. He 
had just entered into practice with flattering prospects, and with all 
the ardor of a youthful mind. He had already many patients 
afflicted with severe disease. Judge, then, with what reluctance he , 
listened to the calls of patriotism, urging him to relinquish these 
prospects and duties, to engage in a contest fraught with the most 
appalling dangers to himself and to his country. On the other 
hand, he had displayed such talents as a military disciplinarian, 
and was so esteemed and beloved by those who were under his 
command, and by all who were connected with him in military 
duty, that he was thought the most competent to take the lead in 
their affairs. In the organization of a regiment, he was elected a 
major. This honor he declined, from an apprehension that it might 
call him too much from professional duties, and involve him too far 
in the military and political movements of the times ; so that he 
would finally be under the necessity of relinquishing his profession ; 
an event which he was anxiously desirous to avoid. His fellow- 
officers would not accept his resignation, and unanimously repeated 
their solicitations that he would assume the duties of an office which 
he was so well qualified to sustain. This flattering distinction was 
enough to shake his resolution. He again took the subject into 
serious consideration, and the same objections presented themselves 
to his mind. He then determined to meet his brother-officers, and 
absolutely decline the honors they were disposed to thrust upon 
him. 

"He was thus situated on the memorable 19th of April, 1775, 

17 



130 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

when the news arrived that a detachment of the British army had 
marched to Lexington and Concord. His ardent patriotism then 
rose superior to all other considerations. His high-minded spirit 
could not shrink from the duties which devolved upon him as a 
military commander. He ordered out his company with prompt- 
ness, and directed them to proceed on the route to Concord ; and, 
having made such provision for the medical relief of the sick under 
his care as the time would permit, he joined his gallant corps with 
all possible speed. Having arrived in the vicinity of Concord, he 
met the British on their retreat, with the cool and determined 
bravery of a veteran, and made such a disposition of his men, as 
to secure them from injury, and enable them to annoy the enemy 
with destructive volleys as they passed a narrow defile. He then 
hung on their rear and flanks, in conjunction with other troops, 
until they arrived at Charlestown. The military talents and calm 
courage which he displayed on this occasion were remarkable in a 
young man only twenty-three years of age, who had never seen 
a battle. It was noticed by those who had the direction of public 
affairs, and he soon after received the commission of a major in the 
Continental army. 

" He now entered on the duties of a soldier with ardor, and 
devoted all the powers of his mind to the cause of his country, and 
the profession of arms. He carried into the service a mind pure 
and elevated, and ardent in the pursuit of knowledge. He had 
a high sense of moral rectitude, which governed all his actions. 
Licentiousness and debauchery were strangers to his breast ; they 
fled from his presence, awed by his superior virtue. His gentle- 
manly deportment and unassuming manners secured the favor of 
his superiors in office, and rendered him the delight of his equals 
and inferiors. The following description of Agricola, by Tacitus, 
his inimitable biographer, is peculiarly applicable to Brooks : — 

"'Nee Agricola licenter, more juvenum, qui militiam in lasciviam 
vertunt, neque segniter, ad voluptates et commeatus, titulum tribu- 
natus et inscitiam retulit : sed noscere provinciam, nosci exercitui, 
discere a peritis, sequi optimos, nihil appetere jactatione, nihil ob 
formidinem recusare, simulque et anxius et intentus agere.' 

" Although he sought no enterprise through vain-glory, his active 
zeal and high ambition led him to solicit the post of danger, if he 
could thereby render useful service to his country. 

"When Gen. Ward had determined to fortify the heights of 
Charlestown, and arrangements were made for this purpose, finding 
that he was not included in the detachment, he solicited the general 
to permit him to accompany it ; and his request was granted. He 
was active during the whole night of the 16th of June, in throwing 
up intrenchments, in reconnoitering the ground, and in watching the 
movements of the enemy. On the morning of the 17th, when it 
was perceived that the enemy were making preparations for an 
assault, he was despatched by Col. Prescott, as a confidential officer, 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 131 

to inform Gen. Ward of the movements, and to represent to «him 
the importance of his sending reinforcements. No horse could be 
had, and he was obliged to walk. This duty prevented his being 
in that glorious battle which has immortalized the heroes who were 
engaged in it, and consecrated the ground to everlasting fame. 

" Amidst the exulting feelings which this dear-bought victory of 
the enemy inspired, our infant army did not fail to profit by the 
experience they had gained. The advantages of superior discip- 
line in the enemy were apparent to every one. They made a strong 
impression on the minds of our officers, and especially on that of 
our youthful hero. He had already acquired such a knowledge of 
tactics, that he had been consulted by superior officers on a system 
of discipline to be introduced into our army. He now applied him- 
self with renewed diligence to this important part of his duty, and 
he soon acquired a high reputation as a disciplinarian. The corps 
he commanded were distinguished during: the whole war for the 
superiority of their discipline, evinced by their gallant conduct in 
battle, and by their regular movements in retreat. He was second 
only to the celebrated Baron Steuben, in his knowledge of tactics. 
After this officer joined the army and was appointed inspector- 
general, we find that Brooks was associated with him in the arduous 
duty of introducing a uniform system of exercise and manoeuvres 
into the army. 

" He assisted in fortifying the heights of Dorchester, which com- 
pelled the British to evacuate Boston. He was very efficient in 
the successful retreat from Long Island. He acted a distinguished 
part in the battle of White Plains ; and, when the detachment of 
our army was overpowed by numbers, his regiment, of which he 
was the most efficient officer, so ably covered the retreat, that it 
received the distinguished acknowledgments of Gen. Washington 
for its gallant conduct. 

"In the year 1777, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant- 
colonel in the eighth Massachusetts regiment ; the command of 
which devolved on him, in consequence of the sickness of his 
colonel. In the spring of this year, he was ordered to join the 
northern army, and he took an active part in those movements 
and battles which terminated in the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. 
In short, the capture of that army may be attributed in no small 
degree to his gallant conduct on the 7th of October, in the battle of 
Saratoga. It is well known how ably he turned the right of the 
enemy ; with what fearless intrepidity he led on his regiment to 
storm their intrenchments, entering them at the head of his men, 
with sword in hand, and putting to rout the veteran German 
troops which defended them ; and with what firmness he main- 
tained this post, which he had so gallantly gained, notwithstanding 
the utmost efforts to dislodge him. This action compelled the 
enemy to change his position, and the field was then open for Gen. 
Gates to surround and capture his whole army. 



132 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" On the surrender of Burgoyne, Col. Brooks was ordered to 
join the array under Gen. Washington, and soon after went into 
winter quarters at Valley Forge, and, in common with the army, 
suffered all those privations and hardships, which required more 
heroism to endure than the most severe and bloody battles. How 
great are our obligations to those wonderful patriots, whom neither 
nakedness nor disease, nor famine, nor the sword, could dishearten ! 

" To follow our hero through all his valuable and laborious mili- 
tary services would be to give a minute history of our Revolutionary 
War ; for there was scarcely any important services performed in 
the northern and central operations of the army in which he did 
not act a conspicuous part. To describe these, is the province of 
the historian : we allude only to those remarkable events which 
serve to illustrate his character. 

"At the conclusion of the war, our army had a still more severe 
ordeal to pass through than the battles and privations they had 
endured. It remained for them to subdue their own passions and 
resentments, and to make this last and most noble sacrifice for the 
welfare of their country. The pay of the army was greatly in 
arrear ; and most of the officers had spent, in their country's ser- 
vice, all they had owned and all they could borrow. Congress had 
do adequate funds for their payment, and it was deficient in the 
power of creating them. In this deplorable state of things, inflam- 
matory anonymous letters were circulated through the army, 
founded on the most plausible reasons, exciting them to retain their 
arms, and to take by force what was due to them in right. The 
apparent justice of this measure concealed from the unreflecting 
the horrible consequences which must have ensued from it. For- 
tunately for our country, there were many influential officers in the 
army, of that purity of heart, that soundness of judgment and 
elevated patriotism, which led them to view with abhorrence this 
fatal expedient ; and it is highly honorable to Col. Brooks that he 
was among the first who opposed it. He had taken measures to 
this effect in his own regiment before the opinions of Washington 
were known, and he had the satisfaction of finding that his senti- 
ments were in perfect accordance with those of the Father of his 
country. He was honored with his most grateful acknowledg- 
ments and full confidence. His brother-officers were so strongly 
impressed with his wisdom and prudence, that he was appointed 
one of the Committee which finally made an adjustment with Con- 
gress, and allayed that dreadful excitement. By the influence of 
these magnanimous patriots, the army gave this distinguished proof 
of their devotion to the liberties of their country ; and, in the lan- 
guage of Washington, we may say, ' had this day been wanting, the 
world had never seen the last stage of perfection to which human 
nature is capable of attaining.' 

" After the army was disbanded, Col. Brooks returned to private 
life, rich in the laurels he had won, in the affections of his fellow- 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 133 

soldiers, and in the esteem of the wise and good. He was not only- 
free from the vices incident to a military life, but, what was remark- 
able, he had acquired moi'e elevated sentiments of morality and 
religion. He was received in his native town with all the kindness, 
the congratulations and attentions which love and friendship could 
elicit, or respect inspire. He was rich in honor and glory ; but he 
had nothing to meet the claims of his beloved family but the caresses 
of an affectionate heart. 

" His old friend, Dr. Tufts, being infirm and advanced in life, 
was desirous of relinquishing his practice into the hands of his 
favorite pupil, whom he thought so worthy of confidence. His 
fellow-townsmen responded to the wishes of his patron. He ac- 
cordingly recommenced the practice of physic, under the most 
favorable auspices, in Medford and the neighboring towns. He 
was soon after elected a fellow of this societv, and was one of its 
most valuable and respected members. On the extension and new 
organization of the society, in the year 1803, he was elected a 
counsellor, and continued to discharge the duties of this office with 
fidelity until he was Governor of the Commonwealth. He was 
then discontinued at his own request. In the year 1808, by the 
appointment of the board of counsellors, he delivered an anniver- 
sary discourse on Pneumonia, which has been published, and 
evinces a mind well stored with medical science and correct practi- 
cal observation. 

" On his retiring from the chair of state, he was again chosen 
counsellor, with the view of electing him President of our society. 
It is unnecessary for me to expatiate on the pride and satisfaction 
we derived from his accepting this honor. Your own feelings will 
best convey to you the height of the honor which he reflected on 
our society. That he felt a deep interest in our prosperity, we 
have ample evidence in his so kindly remembering us in his will. 

" As a physician, he ranked in the first class of practitioners. He 
possessed in an eminent degree those qualities which were calcu- 
lated to render him the most useful in his professional labors, and 
the delight of those to whom he administered relief. His manners 
were dignified, courteous, and benign. He was sympathetic, 
patient, and attentive. His kind offices were peculiarly acceptable 
from the felicitous manner in which he performed them. His mind 
was well furnished with scientific and practical knowledge. He 
was accurate in his investigations, and clear in his discernment. 
He, therefore, rarely failed in forming a true diagnosis. If he were 
not so bold and daring as some in the administration of remedies, 
it was because his judgment and good sense led him to prefer erring 
on the side of prudence rather than on that of rashness. He 
watched the operations of nature, and never interfered, unless it 
was obvious he could aid and support her. He was truly the 
' Hierophant of nature,' studying her mysteries and obeying her 
oracles. 



134 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" In his practice, he added dignity to his profession by his elevated 
and upright conduct. His lofty spirit could not stoop to the empiri- 
cal arts which are too often adopted to obtain a temporary ascen- 
dency. He soared above the sordid consideration of the property he 
should accumulate by his professional labors. Like the good and 
great Boerhaave, he considered the poor his best patients ; for God 
was their paymaster. In short, he was the conscientious, the skil- 
ful, and benevolent physician, — the grace and ornament of our 
profession. 

" His mind, however, was not so exclusively devoted to his pro- 
fessional duties as to prevent his taking a deep interest in the 
affairs of state. He had contributed so largely towards establishing 
the independence of his country, and had exhibited such sincere 
devotion to its welfare, that his countrymen, who have ever been 
distinguished for the acuteness of their discernment in judging of 
public men and measures, were always ready to display their con- 
fidence in him. They felt an assurance that they might safely 
repose on his conscientious integrity, wisdom, and patriotism. He 
was consequently called to fill numerous offices of high importance 
in the State. 

" He was for many years major-general of the militia of his 
county, and established in his division such excellent discipline, 
and infused into it such an admirable spirit of emulation, that it was 
a most brilliant example for the militia of the State. In the insur- 
rection of 1786, his division was very efficient in their protection of 
the courts of justice, and in their support of the government of the 
State. At this time, Gen. Brooks represented his town in general 
court, and he gave support to the firm and judicious measures of 
Gov. Bowdoin for suppressing that alarming rebellion. He was a 
delegate in the State convention for the adoption of the federal 
constitution, and was one of its most zealous advocates. After the 
establishment of the federal government, he was the second mar- 
shal appointed by Washington for this district, and afterwards 
received further evidence of his confidence and approbation by 
being appointed inspector of the revenue. He was successively 
elected to the senate and executive council of the State. He was 
appointed by the acute and discriminating Gov. Strong as his adju- 
tant-general, in that perilous crisis of our affairs, the late war with 
England. The prudence and discretion with which he discharged 
this arduous duty will be long remembered by his grateful country- 
men. 

" These multifarious and laborious public services were performed 
with so much punctuality and ability, and with such dignity and 
urbanity, that, on the retirement of Gov. Strong from the chair of 
State, wise and discreet legislators from all parts of the Common- 
wealth selected him as the most suitable candidate for that high 
and responsible office. It will be recollected how forcibly every 
judicious mind was impressed with the excellence of the selection, 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 135 

and how strongly the public suffrages confirmed that opinion. His 
very name seemed to disarm party spirit with talismanic power; 
for many, who had never acted with his political friends, prided 
themselves in testifying their unlimited confidence in him. 

" It is fresh in your memories with what trembling apprehensions 
he shrunk from the loftly attitude of the chair of State, and yet, 
when placed there, with what singular ease and dignity he presided, 
and with what signal ability he discharged its various imporant 
duties. His government was firm and decided, yet it was so mild 
and gentle that its influence was chiefly perceptible in his happy 
facility of allaying party spirit, and all the angry passions of our 
nature. It was like that of a beloved and revered parent, whom 
all are disposed to honor and obey. 

" Amidst these high military and political honors, which his fel- 
low-citizens took delight in bestowing on him, almost every institu- 
tion of a literary, religious, patriotic, benevolent, or professional 
character seemed to vie with each other in conferring their highest 
honors on him. In 1781, Yale College conferred on him the 
honorary degree of A.M. Harvard University acknowledged the 
value of his literary acquirements, by conferring on him the degree 
of A.M., in the year 1787 ; and, in 1810, the degree of M.D. ; and, in 
1817, the highest honor of that seminary, the degree of LL.D. 

" The Society of Cincinnati recognized him as one of their most 
distinguished members. He was elected to deliver the first oration 
before them, on the 4th of July, 1787 ; and, on the death of Gen. 
Lincoln, their first president, Gen. Brooks was elected to succeed 
him. 

" He was a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He 
was president of the Washington Monument Association, of the 
Bunker-hill Monument Association, and of the Bible Society of 
Massachusetts. 

" Having faithfully and ably discharged the duties of chief magis- 
trate for seven successive years, he expressed his determination to 
retire from the cares and anxieties of public life. How great were 
the public regrets, and how gladly would a large majority of his 
fellow-citizens have retained his valuable services ! but they fore- 
bore urging him to any further sacrifices for the good of his country. 
He retired to private life with dignity, and with the love and bless- 
ings of a grateful people. 

" Having imperfectly traced the brilliant path of his public 
career, let us for.a moment contemplate Gov. Brooks in his private 
character ; and perhaps we may discover the true source of all his 
greatness, the charm which bound the hearts of his countrymen to 
him in ties so strong. He possessed a heart free from all guile, 
and every inordinate selfish feeling, — an evenness of temper and 
sweetness of disposition. His discordant passions — for we pre- 
sume he had them, being human — were kept in complete subjec- 
tion to his virtues. He had a peculiar composure and complacency 



136 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

of countenance ; and the delicacy and courteousness of his manners 
were uncommonly attractive. But, above all, his conduct was regu- 
lated by the influence of that pure morality derived from our holy 
religion, which was impressed deeply on his mind at an early period 
of life. 

" To those who contemplate his fearless intrepidity in the field of 
battle, or have observed the ease and dignity of his deportment on 
the military parade, or in the chair of State, it may appear incredi- 
ble that this brave man possessed an uncommon share of diffidence ; 
but to those who have approached him nearly, it is well known that 
this was a predominant trait in his character. This quality, so rare 
in little minds, is seldom wanting in great ones ; but it is scarcely 
ever so paramount as it was in our departed friend. It was abso- 
lutely necessary to make use of some degree of finesse to induce 
him to accept any important office. This great reluctance in as- 
suming responsibility, sometimes arises from inactivity, or a love 
of ease : not so in him we would commemorate ; for whatever might 
be his situation, he never was idle. 

" The mind of Gov. Brooks was clear in its perceptions, and dis- 
criminating in its judgment ; it was active, ardent, and industrious 
in the pursuit of every valuable attainment, and powerful in the 
application of those attainments for the benefit of others. Although 
his mind shrunk from observation with the delicate excitability of 
the sensitive plant, it was like the oak in sustaining the pressure of 
every duty to his friends or his country. 

" In his relation to his native town, he completely reversed the 
maxim, that a prophet has no honor in his own country ; for the 
inhabitants of Medford idolized him. They knew his worth, and 
fully appreciated it. He was truly their friend and benefactor. 
He took so deep an interest in all their concerns, let their station in 
life be ever so humble, that they could always approach him with 
ease and confidence. They referred to him all their disputes ; and 
so judicious were his decisions, that he had the rare felicity to satisfy 
all parties, and to reconcile them to bonds of amity. It was ob- 
served by an eminent lawyer who resided there, that he had no 
professional business in Medford; for Gov. Brooks prevented all 
contentions in the law. In addition to these intrinsic services, he 
was the grace and the ornament of their social circles, and seemed 
to fill the measure of their enjoyments." 

There are a few illustrative facts known to the contempo- 
raries of Gov. Brooks in Medford, which may be added to 
to Dr. Dixwell's notice. 

He had a real love of pithy anecdotes, and delighted to 
tell them ; and, though he was tediously long in cracking the 
shell, we always found the kernel sweet. He never volun- 
tarily made his successes in the sick-chamber or battle-field 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 137 

or cabinet a topic of conversation. He was remarkably fond 
of society, and loved to see the old and young together. In 
the street, he never passed any acquaintance without a friendly 
recognition ; and he has taken me up a hundred times, when 
a schoolboy, to give me a ride in his chaise. He liked to 
work on his land ; and, as many of his horticultural experi- 
ments were suggested by books, he often found them of small 
pecuniary profit. In the army, he played chess with his 
friend Kosciusko, and occasionally in Medford enjoyed a 
social game. 

He said that the most fatiguing day he ever spent was the 
19th of April, 1775. That, we apprehend, was the auroral 
hour of his life. He was greater than his means. How 
many men are less ! 

Rev. Mr. Foster says : — 

" On the morning of the 19th of April, just at sunrise, alarm- 
guns were fired. The regulars had gone to Concord. I ran 
directly to Major Brooks, and asked if he were going to Concord, 
and when ? ' Immediately ' was the answer." 

With his minute-men, he pursued the enemy to their boats 
at Charlestown. Dr. Ripley says : — 

" As the enemy passed the road from Bedford, they met a body 
of minute-men, commanded by Major John Brooks. A little below 
Bedford Road there was a sharp action, and several of the British 
were killed." 

Rev. Mr. Foster says : — 

" The enemy faced about suddenly, and fired a volley of musketry 
upon us. They overshot. The fire was immediately returned, and 
two British soldiers fell dead in the road near the brook." 

Col. Phinney says : — 

" A little to the eastward of the village, they received a heavy 
fire from the Reading minute-men, under Capt John Brooks." 

An instance of his sturdy Spartan-like directness of pur- 
pose and warm zeal was seen in his volunteering to march 
for the relief of Fort Stanwix (now Rome), at the head of the 
Mohawk : — 

" It was besieged, August, 1777, by one thousand seven hundred 
British and Indians, under Col. St. Leger. Gen. Herkfemer, 

18 



138 HISTORY OF MEDFOED. 

advancing to its aid, had been killed, and his troops dispersed. At 
a council of officers, it was objected to weaken the main army at 
Saratoga by sending away any of the regular troops. Gen. Schuy- 
ler, much depressed and excited, said he would ' beat up for volun- 
teers the next day, if he could get men by no other means,' and 
asked for a brigadier to command them. The next day the drum 
beat for volunteers, and Lieut. Col. Brooks volunteered with his 
reeiment." 



•'o' 



How noble to see a man thus putting his shoulder under 
a forsaken cause ! 

He considered his efforts at Saratoga as the most effective 
in his military career. No skill or bravery during the war 
exceeded his on that occasion. The historian says : — 

"On the left of Arnold's detachment, Jackson's regiment of 
Massachusetts, then led by Lieut. Col. Brooks, was still more suc- 
cessful. It turned the right of the encampment, and carried by 
storm the works occupied by the German reserve. Lieut. Brayman 
was killed ; and Brooks maintained the ground he had gained. 
This advantage of the Americans was decisive." 

Another historian, member of the army, says : — 

" The capture of Gen. Burgoyne and his army may be attributed 
in no small degree to the gallant conduct of Col. Brooks and his 
regiment, on the 7th of October, in the battle at Saratoga." 

The same author, an eye-witness, further says : — 

" The confidence which Washington reposed in him was shown 
on many occasions, and particularly in calling him to his councils in 
that terrible moment when, at Newburg, in March, 1783, a conspi- 
racy of some of the officers, excited by the publication of inflammatory 
anonymous letters, had well nigh disgraced the army, and ruined the 
country. On this occasion, the Commander-in-Chief, to whom this 
day was the most anxious moment of his life, rode up to Col. Brooks 
with intent to ascertain how the officers stood affected. Finding him, 
as he expected, to be sound, he requested him to keep his officers 
within quarter to prevent them from attending the insurgent meet- 
ing. Brooks replied : ' Sir, I have anticipated your wishes, and 
my orders are given.' Washington, with tears in his eyes, took 
him by the hand, and said: ' Col. Brooks, this is just what I 

EXPECTED FROM YOU.' " 

At the end of the war, he retired, a laurelled hero of the 
revolution, to private life, and found himself so poor that he 
opened a small shop in a building next the bridge, on the 



GOVERNOR BROOKS'. 139 

west side of Main Street. He did not succeed in this ; but 
he bore his poverty with a hero's resolution to conquer it ; 
and conquer he did. 

When first a candidate for Governor in 1816, Medford 
gave two hundred and thirty-eight votes for him, and twenty- 
eight for Mr. Dexter. More than twenty-eight votes against 
him were never given in Medford during the seven years he 
was Governor. 

The uniformity of his example in attending public worship 
had a powerful influence on the people of Medford. He was 
never absent, morning or afternoon, when he could be pre- 
sent ; and his attention to the preacher was profound. He 
often made an abstract of the sermon. His favorite moral 
writer was Paley ; and he used to speak of his Horce Paulina 
as an " unanswerable book." When the controversy between 
the Calvinists and Unitarians arose in 1820, he took side 
with the latter, but never liked the extremes of either sect. 
For many years he had wished to make a public profession of 
his faith in Christianity ; but had been deterred by the minis- 
ter's custom of calling upon each candidate to express belief 
in certain doctrines, some of which doctrines he did not 
believe. In 1817, he had come to the conclusion that he 
would announce to Dr. Osgood his convictions, and request 
him to suppress the objectionable sentence, and thus admit 
him. The sentence was this : " Sensible of the depravity of 
the human heart, your own proneness to sin and inability to 
that which is good, you promise," &c. He did not believe 
in man's inability to that which is good, and therefore he 
wished this omitted. Dr. Osgood knew so well his force of 
mind and purity of life that he yielded to his wishes ;. and 
on the £2d of March, 1818, the Governor of the Common- 
wealth declared in public his belief in the divine origin of 
Christianity, and took his seat at the table of the Lord. We 
who were present, and witnessed that act of dedication, can 
never forget the solemnity of the scene. There was so much 
of Socrates and Solon about him, that Christianity did not 
seem strange to him. He lived as he professed. It seemed 
to be his youthful resolution to make his life worthy the" con- 
templation of his most elevated moments in old age. Some 
years after, he was chosen deacon of the church, but declined 
on account of age. 

We may record here an illustration of the truthfulness and 
depth of his family affections ; an illustration which the 



140 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

writer of this witnessed. He said once to his first cousin, 
Mrs. Jonathan Brooks, " I wish to make a bargain with you. 
I will promise to be with you when you are sick, and I wish 
you to promise to be with me when I am sick." She did so 
promise ; and, after several sicknesses, she performed the last 
sad duty of closing his eyes in death. A very dangerous 
illness of Mrs. Brooks occurred, while he, as Governor, was 
engaged at Boston by the sitting of the Legislature. In the 
coldest part of the winter, he rode out each day in his chaise 
to see her. As she became more ill, his attendance increased, 
and his solicitude was that of a brother. One evening he 
arrived at eight o'clock ; and, having found her more ill than 
ever, he jumped into his chaise, drove quickly to his house, 
and brought back a bottle of particular old wine. He asked 
to go to the kitchen fire ; her son conducted him there ; and, 
having opened the wine, he placed himself before the fire, 
and there made a porringer full of wine-whey. When it 
was done, he waited to have it cool. He would not accept 
of any help. He took out a few spoonfuls, and said, " Give 
your mother that." Her son took it to her with a prayer on 
his lips. In ten minutes after she had taken it, she whispered 
to him, " I shall recover." With a heart almost bursting, he 
rushed to the Governor to announce the tidings. A tear 
started in his eye : and he said, " Thank God, we shall have 
her again." I felt at that moment as if I should fall down, 
and worship him as the saviour of my mother. 

When Gen. Lafayette came to Massachusetts in 1824, he 
took an early opportunity to dine with his friend and fellow- 
officer, then living in dignified retirement at Medford. Re- 
spect for the illustrious stranger, and love for their patriotic 
townsman, induced the inhabitants to make ample prepara- 
tions for receiving the guest. On Saturday, Aug. 28, 1824, 
the General entered Medford, at half-past two o'clock, p. m., 
from West Cambridge, attended by a few select friends. The 
notice of his coming was short ; nevertheless, the ladies, with 
their characteristic enchantment, made flowers from the gar- 
dens, and evergreens from the fields, fly at their bidding, and 
arrange themselves into wreaths of beauty and crowns of 
honor, while the young men spanned the streets with arches, 
and filled the air with flags. When he crossed the Wear 
Bridge, the bells began to ring, and the cannon to thunder. 
The houses were filled with eager and happy gazers, waving 
handkerchiefs in the joy of recognition. The children of the 



GOVERNOR BROOKS. 141 

town, in uniform, were stationed in order to salute him, and 
the huzzas of the crowded streets testified to the triumph 
and gladness of the occasion. Opposite the front door of the 
meeting-house of the first parish, a graceful arch spanned 
the street, having this inscription, "Welcome to our hills 
and Brooks." And there, under a canopy of trees, garlands, 
and flowers, the Selectmen of the town met the General and 
his cortege ; and they thus addressed him, by Turell Tufts, 
Esq., their Chairman : — 

" General Lafayette, — The Selectmen of Medford, as represen- 
tatives of the town, deem it a grateful and honorable part of their 
duty to bid you welcome. 

" They are proud, sir, that Medford is the birthplace of one of 
your companions in arms ; a man who, by his bravery in the field, 
his patriotism and civic virtues, contributed to acquire as much of 
glory to our country as honor to himself. 

" We rejoice, sir, that you both live to meet again and to enjoy 
together the consolations fairly derived from your virtuous and 
heroic deeds. 

" The minds of our countrymen traced your course with anxious 
solicitude through the French Revolution, from your first success in 
the cause of liberty until the spirit of oppression confined you in a 
dungeon ; and their hearts were gladdened when, by the influence 
of our great and good Washington, their friend was at last set 
free. In the rich harvest you are now gathering of the expressions 
of interest and gratitude of this numerous people, whose freedom 
and happiness your exertions so essentially contributed to establish, 
we hope you will find some compensation for all your toils, sacrifices, 
and sufferings ; and we feel much complacency, that in this respect 
you have gained so complete a triumph over the monarchs of the 
world. 

" Again, sir, we bid you a most cordial welcome ; and hope the 
testimonials of approbation you are receiving from every heart and 
every tongue will for ever remain an instructive lesson to mankind, 
— that patriots who endure faithfully to the end shall not lose 
their reward." 

To this, the General replied, in substance, as follows : — 

" Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, — I am most happy, in visiting 
the town of my old brother-soldier and friend, General Brooks, to 
be received with so kind a welcome. You speak of ' some com- 
pensation.' Compensation ! Sir, the smallest part of the delight 
which I have experienced would more than repay me for all suffer- 
ings past or to come. 

" I beg you to accept my grateful acknowledgments for this 
cheering welcome." 



142 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The procession soon arrived at General Brooks's house, 
escorted by the Medford Light Infantry ; and, after the 
introduction of a few friends, dinner was announced. 

The dinner was a private one, in the Governor's house, 
and about twenty only were present. There was a witty 
discussion at table about the origin of the word hurrah. 
General Lafayette said, " I know not whence it came ; but, 
in Massachusetts, I have learned where it has got to." Of 
all the persons at that table, the writer of this alone sur- 
vives. 

The closing sickness of the patriot was neither long nor 
full of pain. He bore it with calm acquiescence ; and spoke 
of it with gratitude, as affording him an opportunity for 
reviewing his career, and for striking the balance in life's 
great ledger. He said to his cousin : " My case is beyond 
physicians. I have received my orders : I am ready to 
march." The lamp of religion was within him trimmed and 
burning, and he believed that his life was hid with Christ in 
God. Never has there died among us a man so widely 
known, so highly honored, so truly beloved, or so deeply 
lamented. 

His printed compositions were few. The first public ora- 
tion delivered by him was printed with this title, " An 
Oration delivered to the Society of the Cincinnati, in the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts : July 4, 1787. By John 
Brooks, Esq." This is just such an oration as a sensible and 
patriotic officer, fresh from the fields of conquest, would deli- 
ver to his fellow-officers on the Fourth of July. 

When President Monroe visited Boston in 1817, he said 
he had " read the inaugural speech of Governor Brooks with 
entire approbation;" and then added, "I am willing to 
take the principles of that speech as the basis of my admini- 
stration." 

After the death of the Governor, which occurred March 
1, 1825, the Massachusetts Medical Society, of which he was 
then President, took notice of the event in the most appro- 
priate manner. The next day, March 2, the Councillors of 
that Society passed the following : — 

" Resolved, That the Councillors regard with deep sensibility the 
loss by death of the late President of the Society, the Hon. John 
Brooks, and that they feel assured they shall express the senti- 
ments of the Society, as they do their own, in stating that the 
Society has derived honor from having had at their head a man 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 143 

beloved in private life, justly respected in his profession, and dis- 
tinguished in his state and country for the faithful and honorable 
performance of high military and civil duties. 

" Resolved, That the Councillors ask permission to attend the 
obsequies of their late President, both for themselves and the other 
members of the Society. 

" Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to wait on the family, 
and express to them the sentiments of the Councillors on the 
bereavement." 



The granite pyramid -which, stands in the old burying- 
ground has the following inscription : — 

i 

" Sacred to the memory of John Brooks, who was born in Med- 
ford, in the month of May, 1752, and educated at the town-school. 
He took up arms for his country on the 19th of April, 1775. He 
commanded the regiment which first entered the enemies' lines at 
Saratoga, and served with honor to the end of the war. He was 
appointed Marshal of the District of Massachusetts by President 
Washington ; and, after filling several important civil and military 
offices, he was, in the year 1816, chosen Governor of the Common- 
wealth, and discharged the duties of that station for seven succes- 
sive years to general acceptance. He was a kind and skilful phy- 
sician; a brave and prudent officer; a wise, firm, and impartial 
magistrate ; a true patriot, a good citizen, and a faithful friend. In 
his manners, he was a gentleman ; in morals, pure ; and in profes- 
sion and practice, a consistent Christian. He departed this life in 
peace, on the 1st of March, 1825, aged seventy-three. This monu- 
ment to his honored memory was erected by several of his fellow- 
citizens and friends, in the year 1838." 



CHAPTER IV. 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 

Medford takes a rich share in the political honors of the 
country. At an early date, it expressed its determination to 
preserve inviolate the rights and privileges secured to the 
colony by the charter of 1629. When the four colonies of 
Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven 
united, May 19, 1643, under the name of "The United 
Colonies of New England," their politics and patriotism 



144 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

seem to expand together. This fraternal bond was especially 
strengthened in our ancestors' hearts, when, by the charter 
of Oct. 7, 1691, Plymouth was annexed to Massachusetts. 

May 10, 1643 : The General Court say "that the whole 
plantation, within this jurisdiction, is divided into four shires ; 
to wit, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Suffolk." Each had 
eight towns, except Norfolk, which had six. 

June 4, 1689 : " Ensign Peter Tufts was chosen by the 
town as Representative, according to the Honorable Coun- 
cil's signification." 

May 21, 1690 : " Peter Tufts was chosen Deputy to attend 
the first session of the General Court, or until another shall 
be legally chosen." 

May 3, 1697 : Voted to pay the Representative 18d. per 
day, during his services in the General Court." 

The indignation of our fathers in Medford, at the oppres- 
sive taxation of Andross, was expressed by a fisherman, in a 
pointed figure drawn from his craft. Sir Edward Andross, 
belonging to that select political family of which Benedict 
Arnold was an accepted member, was sent by the king as a spy 
to New England in 1684. He gathered facts from his imagi- 
nation, and returned to persuade the credulous royal govern- 
ment that the Colonies had forfeited their charter. This 
induced the king to appoint him " Governor-General and 
Vice- Admiral of New England, New York, and the Jerseys." 
He arrived in Boston, Dec. 29, 1686, and commenced, as 
despots generally do, with professions of friendship and 
patriotism. But he came prepared for trampling on the 
liberties of the people, by bringing with him power to enact 
laws, raise an army, impose taxes, and abolish the representa- 
tive system. He thus destroyed townships, and said, — 
" There is no such thing as a town in the whole country." 
He and his Council were vested with all legislative and 
executive powers. And thus the country mourned over 
their lost charter and fallen liberties. This tyrant contended 
that every owner of land must renew his title to it, and for 
his agency the most exorbitant fees were demanded. He 
levied taxes without any permission from the people Or 
government, and punished cruelly those who refused to pay. 
The inhabitants of every town were forbidden to meet and 
exercise their corporate powers, except once a year : and 
they were told by the Judges, in open Court, " that they had 
no more privileges left them, than not to be sold for slaves." 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 145 

The Anglo-Saxon blood of our Puritan Fathers could not 
brook this ; and they dared to more than think of relief. 
The great revolution of 1688, in the mother country, ending 
in the abdication of James, and the accession of William 
and Mary, afforded an encouraging example on this side 
the "water. That example was promptly followed ; and on 
the morning of the 18th of April, 1689, the people rose 
in righteous revolt, seized their oppressor, secured him in 
prison, and destroyed his government. This was decisive 
New Englandism. He was soon sent back to London to be 
tried. Of this odious ruler, one of the Medford people said, 
" If Andross comes to Medford, we will treat him, not with 
shad or alewives, but a sword-fish." 

The loyalty of our fathers was seen in their holding days 
of public fasting and prayer when sorrow or defeat visited 
the mother country, and of holding days of thanksgiving 
when prosperity and triumph blessed the king. As an 
example, we would mention a day of rejoicing set apart in 
Medford, October 14, 1743, on account of victory gained by 
the English troops in Germany. 

1753 : Medford was fined £10 for omitting to send a re- 
presentative to the General Court ; but, January 10, 1754, 
this fine was remitted. 

Our town, though small, did its share in Philip's War, 
and raised money and men to put down that intelligent and 
brave Indian enemy. The same spirit of liberty breathed in 
their souls at a later day ; and, when the odious Stamp Act 
was proclaimed, the inhabitants of Medford came together, as 
with a rush, on the 21st of October, 1765, to express their 
sober convictions of its unconstitutionality and injustice. 
With entire unanimity, they addressed a letter to their repre- 
sentative, protesting against some former acts of Parliament, 
but most emphatically against " this most grievous of all acts, 
wherein a complication of those burdens and restraints are 
unhappily imposed,, which will undeniably deprive us of 
those invaluable liberties and privileges which we, as free- 
born Britons, have hitherto enjoyed." Professing loyalty to 
their king and parliament, they nevertheless say, that, " when- 
ever they require such an obedience from us as is incompati- 
ble with thw enjoyment of our just liberties and properties, 
we cannot but arise and openly remonstrate against it. And 
this, we esteem, is so far from a spirit of rebellion and dis- 
loyalty in us, that to act the contrary would argue in us a 

19 



146 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

meanness and degeneracy of spirit much beneath the charac- 
ter of true Englishmen, and would therefore justly expose 
us to the contempt of all true lovers of liberty, both in 
Great Britain and America." — "Therefore we seriously en- 
join it upon you, as our representative, that you be no ways 
aiding or assisting in the execution of said act." This lan- 
guage, with them of prophecy, had a meaning almost as clear 
as it has with us of history. Their words have that political 
polarity which points at ultimate independence. If every 
little village in the Province was thus moved with quick 
indignation at the first instance of positive oppression, does 
it not prove the existence of a general sympathy and a united 
brotherhood which will be unconquerable ? Medford felt 
every pulsation of the central heart, and spoke openly what 
she felt, and was ready to act as nobly as she spoke. The 
above resolves and instructions of the town were among the 
first and firmest of the acts of resistance to royal oppression. 

On the 18th of March, 1766, Parliament repealed the odi- 
ous act by a vote of two hundred and seventy-five to one 
hundred and sixty-seven. The joy exhibited at Medford, on 
this event, was most intense, and was manifested by fire- 
works, ringing of bells, and jubilant dinners. 

Parliament resumes taxation, June 29, 1767, asserting its 
right to " bind the Colonies in all cases whatsoever." Duties 
were laid on paper, tea, glass, and painters' colors. A cus- 
tom-house was opened, and a civil list established ; and the 
act provides, that, after ministerial warrants are satisfied, the 
residue of the revenue shall be at the disposal of Parliament. 
The trump of doom could not have caused a more general 
awakening. New England now was doubly alive. 

The preparation-note was sounded in Medford, Dec. 21, 
1772, in these words : — 

" Voted to choose a Committee to take under consideration the 
grievances we labor under, and in particular of salaries said to be 
appointed by the Crown for our supreme judges ; and also to draw 
up instructions for our representative relative thereto." 

This signal-gun, fired from the battlements of liberty, gave 
not an " uncertain sound," as will be seen in the following 
acts of our patriotic fathers. Dec. 31, 1772: — 

" Voted that the thanks of the town of Medford be given to the 
respectable inhabitants of the town of Boston for their patriotic care 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 147 

and vigilance (discovered on several occasions) in endeavoring to 
preserve our civil constitution from innovation, and to maintain the 
same inviolate. And we. do assure them that our assistance shall 
not be wanting in the use of all such lawful proper measures as 
shall be thought expedient to be adopted for the preservation of 
our liberties, civil and religious." 

The calm and solemn declaration of sentiments, sent at this 
time to their representative, is as follows : — 

" To Simon Tufts, Esq. 

« Sir, — You being our representative, we, your constituents, this 
day, in lawful town-meeting assembled, having taken into serious 
consideration the many and alarming grievances, as generally and 
justly complained of, which the Colonies in general, and this Pro- 
vince in particular, labor under, as being subversive of the essential 
rights and privileges of free British subjects, and repugnant both to 
the letter and spirit of our royal charter, take the freedom to lay 
before you our sentiments thereupon, and to enjoin you, as our 
representative, to use your best endeavors in the Honorable House 
of Representatives, at their next sessions, in promoting and assist- 
ing in such constitutional measures as shall appear best, and most 
likely to obtain redress of the same. 

" It would be too tedious, as well as needless, to enumerate, and 
particularly remind you of all the grievances we suffer at this time 
from ministerial and parliamentary proceedings ; but it may suffice 
to say generally that our sentiments of the claims we are justly 
entitled to, as free British subjects, and also of the infringements 
from time to time made upon them, are similar to those contained 
in the pamphlet (now read) which our patriotic brethren of Boston 
have generously furnished us with ; which book we recommend to 
your serious perusal. 

" In particular, we desire that you inquire into the truth of a 
report currently spread and prevailing among us, namely, that the 
Hon. Justices of the Superior Court are in future to receive their 
salaries from the Crown. Since such a provision, which renders 
them so enormously dependent upon the Crown, is of so threatening 
an aspect, so dangerous to the free and impartial administration of 
justice, as must alarm every serious person who has the welfare of 
his country at heart, it gives us just reason to fear that the axe is 
now laid at the root of our liberty, with a fixed intention to hew it 
down. 

" Therefore, sir, if, upon inquiry, you find this to be really the 
case, we trust you will zealously and vigorously exert yourself to 
avert so formidable an evil, and frustrate the wicked machinations 
of our inveterate enemies ; and, in the mean time, that you will 
endeavor that the Hon. Justices of the Superior Court of Judica- 
ture, Court of Assizes, and General Jail Delivery, be amply and 



148 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

honorably supported by grants from the General Assembly, and in 
such a manner as shall best tend to the maintaining of justice in the 
land. Finally, that you endeavor that the disputes and differences 
now subsisting betwixt Great Britain and the Colonies be speedily 
and amicably adjusted, and peace and harmony again restored." 

A copy of the above was sent to the town of Boston. 

The records of Medford are full of the most clear and 
stirring expressions of patriotism with reference to the 
oppressions of the Crown. So near to Boston, every pulsa- 
tion of that central heart found an answering beat in the 
bosoms of our ancestors. They were among the first and 
steadiest supporters of colonial rights. There were men in 
Medford, in 1770, who knew their political, civil, and reli- 
gious position, and who were ready to defend themselves 
from parliaments and ministers and kings. It will not be 
necessary to copy into this history the many declarations and 
resolutions which glow with the auroral light of liberty on 
the records of the town. It may be interesting to see into 
what form their views and feelings had settled in 1773 ; and 
these may be apprehended by the following record of a town- 
meeting held for the special purpose of expressing their 
opinion upon the Tea Question. 

The record is as follows : — 

" The town being informed, that, by reason of the American mer- 
chants generally refusing to import tea from Great Britain while 
subjected to the payment of the duty imposed thereon by the 
British Parliament, the East India Company there have been so 
greatly embarrassed in the sale of their teas, that they have at 
length determined (through permission of Parliament) to export a 
supply for the Colonies on their own account. Several ships have 
already arrived in Boston with large quantities on board, and seve- 
ral more are daily expected ; and we are informed that the said 
duty will be paid upon all such teas. 

" To prevent, therefore, the many formidable evils consequent 
upon the success of this alarming and subtle attempt to rivet the 
chains of oppression, the town, after mature deliberation, comes 
into the following resolutions: — 

1. Resolved, That it is the incumbent duty of all free British 
subjects in America to unite in the use of all lawful measures 
necessary and expedient for the preservation and security of their 
rights and privileges, civil and religious. 

2. That it is the opinion of this town, that the British Parliament 
have no constitutional authority to tax these Colonies without their 
oivn consent ; and that, therefore, the present duty laid upon tea, 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 149 

imported here from Great Britain for the purpose of a revenue, is 
a tax illegally laid upon and extorted from us. 

" 3. That said India Company's exporting their own teas to the 
Colonies, while charged with said duty, has a direct tendency to 
establish said revenue acts. 

" 4. That we will exert ourselves, and join with our American 
brethren, in adopting and prosecuting all legal and proper measures 
to discourage and prevent the landing, storing, and vending and 
using those teas among us ; and that whosoever shall aid or assist 
said India Company, their factors or servants, in either landing, 
storing, or selling the same, does a manifest injury to his country, 
and deserves to be treated with severity and contempt. 

" 5. That we are ready at all times, in conjunction with our 
American brethren, as loyal subjects, to risk our lives and fortunes 
in the service and defence of His Majesty's person, crown, and dig- 
nity ; and also, as a free people, in asserting and maintaining invio- 
late our civil and religious rights and privileges against all opposers 
whatever. 

" 6. That the thanks of this town be and are hereby given to 
our worthy brethren of the town of Boston, for their unwearied 
care and pains in endeavoring to preserve our rights and privileges 
free from innovation, and furnishing this and our other towns with 
copies of their late proceedings. 

" Voted that a copy of these resolutions and proceedings be trans- 
mitted to the Committee of Correspondence in Boston." 

June 1, 1774 : The Boston Port Bill, which prohibited 
all trade by water, brought the great question to its issue. 
Every one here was asking, Must we be slaves ? Can w r e be 
free ? When men's labor is forbidden, and their bread fails, 
then "bayonets begin to think." Our fathers now felt that 
the hope of the country was in the union of the Colonies. 

Men who could understand these acts of oppression, and 
could thus talk, were ready and willing to act ; and their 
first prophetic deed was that of abstinence. Nov. 14, 1774, 
Medford voted thus : " Resolved, That, if any person or per- 
sons sells or consumes any East India teas, the names of such 
persons to be posted up in some public place." Again, 
" Voted that we will not use East India teas till the Acts be 
repealed." This was equivalent to cleaning the rifle, and 
looking into the cartridge-box. 

Medford had its stock of powder deposited in the powder- 
house, on Quarry Hill, and, on the 27th of August, 1774, 
removed it. Governor Gage heard that the powder in that 
house was fast leaving it ; and, as he called it the " king's 
powder," he resolved to remove it to Castle William (Fort 



150 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Independence). Accordingly, " on Thursday morning, Sep- 
tember 1, about half-past four, two hundred and sixty 
troops, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Maddison, embarked 
at Long "Wharf, Boston, in thirteen boats, sailed up Mystic 
River, landed at Temple's farm (Ten Hills), marched to the 
powder-house, and removed all the powder in it, two hun- 
dred and fifty half-barrels, to Castle William." This clan- 
destine act of power, executed on the very borders of 
Medford, called forth here the deepest indignation, and made 
every man ready for the issue which it foreshadowed. It is 
impossible now to conceive of the excitement which this act 
produced. 

" Five boats " had been built, and " the Selectmen of 
Medford were ordered to take a party of men to Charlestown 
Neck, to launch them, and carry them up Mystic River." 
And this was done. 

We find the inhabitants of Medford again assembled ; and, 
Feb. 1, 1775, two Representatives, Benjamin Hall, and Ste- 
phen Hall, 3d, are sent to the Provincial Congress at Cam- 
bridge. Medford now, as one man, enrolled itself, and stood 
ready at the first tap of the drum. Signs of terrible portent 
abound ; and soon comes the 19th of April. A beacon-fire 
has been lighted ; a horseman rides at full speed through 
the streets of Medford ; the bell rings, drums beat, all doors 
fly open. The awful tidings have already spread over the 
county, and will soon penetrate the adjoining States. The 
workshops, the brickyards, the counting-houses, and the corn- 
fields are all deserted. The horse is suddenly loosed from 
the plough, and the plough left in the furrow. Women col- 
lect to ask if they can do any thing, and then hasten to help 
fathers, husbands, and sons. All eyes are strained to see, all 
ears to hear, and every heart palpitates as before the light- 
ning flash of an overhanging cloud. The time has come. 
The British regulars are marching from Boston to Lexington 
for plunder and hostility. Patriotism reddens every Ameri- 
can cheek at the announcement of this fact. The heart of 
the whole town moves as by one pulsation. There needs no 
conscription here. All are ready. The auroral blush of 
liberty is in the sky. They seize their rifle and their fowl- 
ing-piece, they fill their powder-horn and cartridge-box, they 
store their knapsack and roll up their blanket; and then, 
with quickened step and firm resolve, heart answering to 
heart, the fearless patriot band take up their solemn march 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 151 

to meet the foe. Some Medford minute-men soon joined the 
ranks of their neighbors from Reading, who had volunteered 
already, under the command of their gallant young physician, 
John Brooks. 

The Medford Company, fifty -nine in all, were out early on 
their march to the scene of danger, and, for five days, were 
in active service. The maxim at Medford was this : " Every 
citizen a soldier, every soldier a patriot." 

A Medford farmer, at the "West End, as soon as he heard of 
the march of the British towards Lexington, ran to his house, 
seized his gun, and made ready for departure. Dinner was 
on the table, but he would not stop. His wife exclaimed, 
" Why, husband, you are not going without your dinner ! " 
" Yes, I am," he replied ; " I am going to take powder and 
balls for my dinner to-day, or to give them some." 

These were times when men had reasons shorter than 
logic. Their minds glowed like the burning furnace ; and 
to put a stop to British oppression they were resolved. God 
and freedom now became watchwords. They felt that every 
true American was their ally ; and they knew that the first 
shot fired at their neighbors at Lexington would convert 
every citizen in the Colony to a minute-man and a soldier. 
These ancestors of ours were men ; they have the right to 
be called men ; and, with such men, liberty is safe. How 
faintly, at this day, can we conceive of the electric enthusiasm 
of the 19th of April ! It seemed 

" As if the very earth again 

Grew quick with God's creating breath ; 

And, from the sods of grove and glen, 

Rose ranks of lion-hearted men 
To battle to the death." 

The number belonging to Medford who were killed on 
that day is not known. A worthy old man told us that he 
knew of four who fell : "William Polly and Henry Putnam, 
at Concord ; and a man named Smith, and another named 
Francis, in "West Cambridge. The two last mentioned were 
killed by the flank guard of the British, on the retreat to 
Boston. 

"William Polly was brought to Medford alive; but died of 
his wounds April 25. 

The Medford men followed the retreating British from 
Lexington woods to Charlestown ferry, and shot their last 
ball during the embarkation. 



152 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Medford men were with "Washington at Monmouth, at 
Brandywine, at the crossing of the Delaware, and in other 
places, and fought bravely for the liberties and independence 
of their country. 

Mr. No well, in his diary, kept at Boston, has the fol- 
lowing : — 

" Aug. 6, 1775 : Skirmishing up Mistick River. Several soldiers 
brought over here wounded. The house at Penny Ferry, Maiden 
side, burnt." "Aug. 13. — Several gondaloes sailed up Mistick 
River, upon which the Provincials and they had a skirmish; many 
shots exchanged, but nothing decisive." 

It appears from these records that the enemy attempted 
incursions here, but were promptly met and repulsed by our 
fathers. This event put the inhabitants of Medford in a 
state of watchfulness and defence at the very earliest period 
of the Revolution. 

A detachment of troops from the army at Cambridge were 
ordered east ; and, on the 13th September, 1775, they 
encamped for the night in Medford, having Benedict Arnold 
as their commander. 

After the battles of Lexington and Concord, our patriot 
fathers felt themselves pledged to the cause, and much 
anxiety arose about the selection of their Representative to 
the General Court. They felt that the most momentous 
questions might come up for discussion, and that the decision 
of Massachusetts might be final. The gentleman they first 
chose declined. The choice then fell on Capt. Thomas 
Brooks, as a man whose solid judgment, characteristic deci- 
sion, and burning patriotism, fitted him for the trying emer- 
gencies. So ably and promptly did he fill his trust, that the 
town elected him eight times in succession. From his" own 
farm he supplied the army with wood while in Charlestown 
and on Winter Hill. 

June 10, 1776 : The Selectmen assemble the inhabitants 
of Medford for this high and solemn purpose, namely : — 

" To know the minds of the town, — whether, should the Honor- 
able v Congress, for the safety of the said Colonies, declare them inde- 
pendent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, they, the said inhabitants, 
will solemnly engage, with their lives and fortunes, to support 
them in the measure. 

" Voted in the affirmative, unanimously" 

The Declaration of Independence was read from the pul- 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 153 

pit in Medford on the first Sunday after its arrival. After 
this, the question of preparing and adopting a form of free, 
representative government came before every mind with deep 
impressiveness ; and Sept. 20, 1776, found our fathers assem- 
bled to discuss it. They voted that they were " ready for a 
constitution and a form of government for the future." 
That year, for the first and only time, two representatives 
were chosen, — Captain Thomas Brooks, and Mr. Stephen 
Hall, 3d. r 

When towns were dissatisfied with any laws, it was usual 
to instruct their representative to " declare against them." 

The expenses of war were borne without a murmur in 
Medford; and every person made a cheerful sacrifice of 
whatever was necessary to promote the cause of freedom. 
In 1776, the inhabitants tax themselves £226, in addition to 
the current expenses of the year. 

March 3, 1777 : " Voted to raise our quota of men for the 
fifteen battalions for the Continental army." 

Sept. 22, 1777 : The town voted to raise £778. 4s. for the 
expenses of the war. 

During these hard times, Medford had two ministers to 
support, and Mr. Osgood asked for more salary. The town, 
March 2, 1778, granted him £100 as a gratuity. 

May 25, 1778 : " Voted to pay each person six shillings 
per day who served under Capt. Blaney, as soldiers for Med- 
ford, last winter." 

" Voted that the Selectmen be the Committee for supply- 
ing the families of the Continental soldiers." 

May 28, 1778 : " Voted to raise the sum of X 1,400 to- 
wards defraying the charges of the town the ensuing year." x 
Nov. 30 : " Voted to raise £1,600, in addition to the £1,400 
voted last May." 

1779 : William Earl, of Medford, was "powder-monkey " 
on board the ship-of-war Bon Homme Richard, Sept. 23 
1779, then commanded by Capt. Paul Jones. On that day' 
the captain encountered the British ship-of-war Serapis 
greatly his superior in force ; and, after a most desperate and 
bloody engagement off Flamborough Head, he captured her. 
Young Earl lost his leg in that battle, and afterwards received 
a pension. He pursued, in Medford, the trade of a tailor. 
He was a good citizen, and a good singer. 

1779 : Voted to raise £3,000 for current expenses, and to 
borrow $12,000 for three months. 

20 



154 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Oct. 1,8, 1779: "Voted to raise $7,380 to pay the sol- 
diers." 

June 29, 1781 : " Voted to raise £400 towards purchasing 
the beef, and £270 for purchasing the clothing." 

July 30, 1781: "Voted to raise £200 in specie for rais- 
ing the men." 

These items show any thing but backwardness in sustain- 
ing the cause of independence. 

The people of Massachusetts felt the need of a Constitution, 
or form of civil government. A convention for drafting one 
was called, and they present the result of their labors Feb. 
28, 1778. In drafting this Constitution, the Legislature 
acted as a Convention. They sat at Cambridge. 

May 25, 1778 : The inhabitants of Medford express their 
opinion. The record runs thus : — 

" The Constitution and form of government being read, it was 
put to vote ; and there appeai*ed to be thirteen in favor of it, and 
twenty-three against it." 

" The Constitution for Massachusetts Bay " was rejected. 

The question, whether the State desired a Constitution, 
was put ; and our records, May 17, 1779, have the follow- 
ing : — 

" Put to vote, — Whether the town choose at this time to have a 
new Constitution or form of government made. Yeas, 22 ; nays, 
15." 

They appoint a Committee to instruct their Representative 
(Capt. Thomas Brooks). The record is thus : — 

"May 17, 1779: The Committee appointed to instruct their 
Representative relative to forming a new Constitution of civil 
government in this State report, — That said Representative use 
his best endeavors and influence, that, if the General Court are 
empowered by the majority of freeholders of said State to call a 
convention to form said Constitution of government, said conven- 
tion may consist of no person or persons belonging to said General 
Court." 

A new movement was made, and another convention 
called ; separate counties held preparatory meetings ; and, 
October, 1779, Stephen Willis, 3d, was chosen Delegate to 
meet in convention at Concord. When the town came to 
act on the doings of this convention, as they regarded a new 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 155 

Constitution of civil government for the State, the record 
says : — 

"July 29, 1779 : The whole of the proceedings of the convention 
at Concord was read, paragraph by paragraph, and then voted upon 
separately ; and it was unanimously voted that we comply with the 
same." 

The draft of the new Constitution for Massachusetts was 
at last prepared ; and, May 28, 1780, Medford accepted it, 
with a few exceptions. The record is as follows. The 
Committee report : — 

" We apprehend that the Governor, with the advice of the Coun- 
cil, should, in the recess of the General Court, be vested with the 
power, on special occasions, in time of war and rebellion, to order 
the militia out of this State to the assistance of a neighboring State ; 
and that the said Governor, with the advice of Council, shall not 
be empowered to continue the militia out of this State, on the 
aforesaid emergencies, for a longer space than thirty days at one 
time, without the consent of the General Court. Yeas, 49 ; 
nays, 5. 

" Concerning the writ of habeas corpus, we are of opinion that 
it should not be suspended by the Legislature, on any account, for 
a longer space of time than six months. Unanimously, 39. 

" We are of opinion that no person ought to be elected a Dele- 
gate to the Congress of the United States, who is not possessed of 
property, in the State of Massachusetts, to the value of £600, cur- 
rency, according to the Convention. Unanimously, 39 votes. 

" We should be pleased if the above alterations might be made 
in the said Constitution, but mean not that said alterations should 
prevent the establishment of said Constitution at the next session 
of said Convention. 

Edward Brooks, 

Simon Tufts, ^-Committee. 

Aaron Hall, 



'I 



" Voted unanimously to accept, by 39 votes. 

" Voted to accept of the first Section of the second Chapter of 
said Constitution, styled Governor, with the foregoing amendment. 
Yeas, 49 ; nays, 5. 

" Concerning the writ of habeas corpus (Chap. vi. Art. 7), voted 
unanimously to accept it, with the foregoing amendment. 39 votes. 

" The declaration of rights was unanimously accepted (except 
the third article), by 44 votes. The third article being particularly 
discussed, a vote was called for ; 28 for and 6 against it. 

" The constitution of government (Chap. i. Sect. 1), styled 
General Court, was unanimously accepted. 33 votes. 



156 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



"The second Section of same Chapter, styled Senator, unani- 
mously accepted. 26 votes. 

" The third Section, same Chapter, styled Representatives, unani- 
mously accepted. 23 votes. 

" All the remainder of said publication was unanimously accepted 
(with the foregoing amendments), by 23 votes, one-half of the peo- 
ple having before withdrawn." 

Stephen Hall, 3d, was the Delegate from Medford to 
form the Constitution of 1780. The convention sat at Cam- 
bridge from Sept. 1, 1779, to March 2, 1780. 

After the adoption of this Constitution, the form used in 
warning town-meetings was changed, and they warned " in 
the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." 

Thus established under a Republican Constitution of their 
own making, our ancestors felt as if they had passed from a 
state of minority to a state of manhood. The first election, 
therefore, under this new political charter, was an event of 
deep interest. They wished to set an example of wise selec- 
tion, disinterested patriotism, and fraternal unanimity, which 
might serve for an example to all future times. They did 
so. They selected intelligent statesmen, true patriots, and 
professing Christians. The first election took place Sept. 4, 
1780 ; and, in Medford, the votes stood thus : — 

For Governor. 
John Hancock .... 30 | James Bowdoin .... 20 



For Lieutenant-Governor. 



Artemus Ward . 
Benjamin Lincoln 
John Hancock 



30 
9 
3 



James Bowdoin . 
Thomas Cushing . 
Benjamin Grenleaf 



2 

1 
1 



For Senators and Councillors. 



Col. Cummings . 
Stephen Hall, 3d 
William Baldwin . 
Josiah Stone . . 
Nathaniel Gorham 
James Dix . . . 
Eleazer Brooks . 



23 
13 
11 
34 
24 
25 
24 



Abraham Fuller 
Oliver Prescott 
Samuel Thatcher 
Thomas Brooks 
Samuel Curtis 
Benjamin Hall 



12 
3 

2 

1 
2 

1 



Here we find two candidates for each office ; thus parties, 
inseparable from a state of free inquiry and equal rights, 
revealed themselves at once. The question being settled, 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 



157 



the next election showed great unanimity, and recognized 
that central principle of majority which lies at the basis of 
our civil liberties. The Constitution provided that the 
annual election should take place in April ; thus giving the 
farmers the winter to think of it, and an occasion of finishing 
it before planting. 

April 2, 1781 : The first in the series of the annual elec- 
tions took place on this day ; and the votes, in Medford, 
stood thus : — 



For Governor. 
John Hancock . . 



24 



For Lieutenant- Governor. 
Thomas Cushing . . . . 



20 



For Senators. 



Abraham Fuller 
Josiah Stone . 



22 
22 



Seth Gorham 22 

James Prescott .... 22 
John Tyng 22 

The State government took up the cause of independence 
with wisdom and power. At this time, a levy of clothing 
and beef for the army was made by it, and our records show 
that Medford raised its share with promptitude. 

The second annual election of State officers was like the 
third, which, in Medford, stood thus : — 



For Governor. 
John Hancock . . 



45 



For Lieutenant-Governor. 
Thomas Cushing . . . 



44 



Ebenezer Bridge .... 37 

Josiah Stone 36 

Abraham Fuller . . . . 37 



For Senators. 

Eleazer Brooks . ... . 37 

Jonas Dix 35 

Joseph Hosmer .... 3 



At the fourth annual election, April 7, 1783, Governor 
Hancock had, in Medford, 36 votes ; Lieutenant-Governor 
Cushing, 30. Each Senator had 24. These facts show 
remarkable political harmony in the town. 

The recognition of independence by the mother country 
caused a day of thanksgiving in Medford,which the aged among 
us remember. There were meetings and feastings and congra- 
tulations and rejoicings without number. It seemed here as 
if the whole heavens were filled with rainbows. So intoxi- 
cated with hope were our fathers, that they doubtless pre- 
sumed that two blades of grass would henceforth grow where 



158 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

only one had grown, and that a shower of twopenny loaves 
might be expected at any time. From these dreams of a 
political Elysium they were doomed to awake plain New 
England farmers ; and, on the 1st of March, 1784, in town- 
meeting, they thus voted : " That the guns and gunlocks, 
axes, pickaxes, spades, shovels, and lead, belonging to the 
town, be sold at public auction." When the first gush of 
republican joy was over, and the town became settled in the 
new ways of freedom, then they began to ask how much 
independence had cost, in pounds, shillings, and pence. 

To give only two specimens of individual zeal in the cause 
of independence among us, we may mention the remark of 
our first Medford merchant, Benjamin Hall, Esq. : — 

" When the struggle began, in 1775, 1 would not have exchanged 
my property for that of any man in Middlesex County ; and now, 
in 1784, I am worth nothing." 

The other case is that of Rev. Edward Brooks. He was 
librarian of Harvard College two years. On the 19th of 
April, 1775, he hastened towards Lexington, and did duty 
through the day. Lieut. Gould, taken prisoner at Concord, 
was committed to his custody at Medford. He was chaplain 
in the frigate " Hancock," in 1777, when she captured the 
British frigate " Fox." Afterwards, when the " Hancock " and 
" Fox " were retaken by the British off Halifax, he was carried 
there as prisoner of war, but was soon released. He had 
not money to give, but he would have given his life, to the 
American cause. He died at Medford, May 6, 1781, 
aged 48. 

Medford took steps to pay its debts at the earliest pe- 
riod. It was to be done by degrees ; and, May 12, 1785, they 
vote thus : " To raise £400 to defray the expenses of the 
town, and X400 towards sinking the town-debt." The next 
year they vote that " one quarter of the town's debt be paid 
this year." They thus continued the wise work of liqui- 
dating all claims against their treasury, and, before many 
years, were free also in this particular. 

Our fathers shared largely in the intense anxiety which 
pervaded the United States, from the declaration of peace in 
1783 to the adoption of the Federal Constitution in 1788. 
Though independence was achieved, yet it might prove a 
curse, if a form of government could not be adopted which 
would harmoniously unite all the Colonies into a strong, just, 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 



159 



and brotherly union. To draft such a constitution required 
all the Numas, Lycurguses, and Solons of the land. There 
was, in the country, the wisdom, the learning, the patriot- 
ism, and the virtue necessary for the stupendous and all- 
important work ; but attending circumstances were, in some 
respects, unpropitious. Differing opinions and opposite 
interests, state rights and state sovereignties already estab- 
lished, the disbanded soldiers sowing discontent and immora- 
lity among the citizens, the enormous public and private 
debts, the unwarrantably large importations of foreign mer- 
chandise, the draining of the specie from the country, and 
the fear of a political chaos, — all these fertile sources of 
alarm rendered the formation of a durable federal compact a 
gigantic labor. March 10, 1787, a, convention of delegates 
from the several States was agreed upon, who should prepare 
a form of government which should " render the Federal 
Constitution adequate to the exigencies of government and 
the preservation of the Union." This convention was to 
meet in Philadelphia on the second Monday of May next. 
The General Court appoint Francis Dana, Elbridge Gerry, 
Nathaniel Gorham, Rufus King, and Caleb Strong as Dele- 
gates from Massachusetts. 

At this juncture, the late requisition of Congress, Aug. 2, 
1786 for $3,777,062, calls on our Commonwealth to pay 
its proportion, which was $324,746. The murmurs of the 
people, under what they deemed excessive taxation, became 
loud and emphatic. There were those who were ready to 
rise in rebellion against the government, and throw the whole 
fabric of American liberty in ruins. This suicidal sophistry 
found its advocate in Shays, who put himself at the head of a 
military force of eleven hundred men. The Governor of 
Massachusetts ordered out four thousand four hundred troops 
of militia and four companies of artillery, who, under Gen 
Lincoln, marched to Worcester, Jan. 22. General Shepherd 
took possession of the arsenal at Springfield, and, on the 
25th of that month, encountered Shays, and soon scattered 
his adherents to the four winds, leaving upon the field 
three of them killed, and one wounded. This base attempt 
to involve the country in civil war being thus promptly and 
totally crushed, while it united anew the friends of freedom and 
order, put a final check to further insurrections. We have 
mentioned these facts to show the fidelity of our Medford 
patriots to the cause of their country ; for no sooner had this 



160 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

subversive movement been taken, than our town votes its 
entire disapprobation of the traitorous scheme, and offers to 
pay any soldiers who would volunteer to put it down. Young 
men went, and they were paid accordingly. 

The Constitution of the United States was adopted by 
Massachusetts, Feb. 6, 1788, in its Legislature, by a vote of 
187 yeas. There were 168 nays. This memorable instru- 
ment, which, among its other agencies, was to establish an 
equitable system of taxation, regulate trade, and secure pro- 
perty, was also to inaugurate order and peace, to foster com- 
merce, encourage agriculture, and promote useful arts. Our 
ancestors felt satisfied with its provisions, and were not dis- 
appointed in its promises. 

At this time arose the two great parties, the " Federalists " 
and " Antifederalists ; " the one supporting, and the other 
opposing, our present Constitution. The name "Antifede- 
ralist " was soon dropped, and that of " Republican " substi- 
tuted. 

Provided with two constitutions, one for their native State, 
and the other for their country, the time had now arrived for 
the organization of a general government ; and the citizens 
of the United States now collect in their several towns, and, 
for the first time, give in their votes for a President of the 
Republic. The ballot for electors was unanimous, and stood 
thus, in Medford, Dec. 18, 1788 : — 

Hon. Judge Dana ... 25 | Gen. John Brooks ... 24 

The government of the country being now administered 
by President Washington with wisdom, power, and economy, 
several years of quietness and prosperity gave rest to the 
public mind. Our town had little else to do than accord 
with the general acts of Congress. When the Father of his 
Country chose to decline a third election to the Presidency, 
the preference of our town for Mr. Adams, as his successor, 
was unequivocally shown ; and when this patriot stood can- 
didate a second time, and was successfully opposed by Mr. 
Jefferson, Medford, Nov. 7, 1796, adhered to the son of 
Massachusetts, in a unanimous vote of 41, given for Benja- 
min Hall, as elector. 

The death of General Washington, in December, 1799, 
touched every American heart as a family bereavement. Its 
announcement came to every one as a paralytic shock, and 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 161 

each one felt as if his strength had been suddenly withdrawn. 
No sooner had the mournful tidings reached Medford, than 
the inhabitants came together, and, Jan. 2, 1800, expressed 
their sorrow at the sad event, resolving by vote, — 

" That the town will pay suitable respect to the memory of the 
late General George Washington ; and that a Committee of eleven 
be chosen to make the proper arrangements." 

In the printed order of services, "evincive of their deep 
regret," the Committee request as follows : — 

"1. At one o'clock, p.m., the stores and shops of the town to be 
shut. The bell is to toll from one o'clock till the procession shall 
arrive at the meeting-house. The inhabitants to assemble at Union 
Hall, with a black crape or ribbon upon the left arm, above the 
elbow, as mourning. The scholars of the town school to join the 
procession in a body. The procession to move at two o'clock, 
under the direction of the Committee. 

" 2. Females, of all ages, are requested to wear black ribbons, 
and to be seated in the meeting-house before the arrival of the pro- 
cession. 

" 3. Male strangers are requested to join the procession. 

" 4. After the procession is seated, music, suited to the occa- 
sion. 

" 5. Prayer, by the Rev. Dr. Osgood. 

" 6. Music. 

" 7. Eulogy, by the Hon. John Brooks, Esq. 

" 8. Music. After which, the bell to toll till sunset." 

Every thing was thus done by the town which could 
express grief at the loss, or respect for the memory, of the 
venerated chief. General John Brooks, the companion in 
arms of the illustrious warrior, and one of his favorite friends, 
was the person, of all others, to deliver the public eulogy ; and 
it was done on the thirteenth of January. On that day all 
business was suspended as on the sacred sabbath, the shops 
closed, the flags at half-mast, the meeting-house robed in 
black, and every inhabitant dressed in mourning apparel ; 
and these badges were continued for thirty days. In form- 
ing the funeral procession, the children of the town preceded ; 
the military, with muffled drums, were in attendance, as an 
escort ; and the officers of the town, the chaplain, and the 
orator, were accompanied by strangers of distinction. The 
meeting-house, as the writer well remembers, was crowded 
to its utmost capacity ; and the funeral music and impressive 

21 



162 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



prayers were in proper keeping with the solemnities of the 
commemoration. The eulogy, prepared in a short time, was 
the outflowing 1 of a warm and afflicted heart. It was written 
in plain, strong language, and narrated, with lucid order, 
the prominent facts in Washington's life, and the salient 
features of his character. It was printed with the following 
titlepage : — 

" An Eulogy on General Washington, delivered before the inha- 
bitants of the town of Medford, agreeably to their vote, and at the 
request of their Committee, on the 13th of January, 1800. By 
John Brooks, A.M., M.M.S., and A.A.S. Printed by Samuel Hall, 
No. 53, Cornhill, Boston." 

We give a few extracts, and select the following because 
they are short : — 

" The interjunction of public eulogies with funeral solemnities is 
a practice neither novel nor unusual. Emanating from the strength 
and poignance of grief for departed merit, it is the expression of an 
affection of the human heart which may be beneficially indulged. 
. . . Vain would be the attempts of the most accomplished eulo- 
gist to do justice to a character so transcendently illustrious as that 
of our late dear and much-loved Washington. ... So long as 
wisdom shall be revered, talents command respect, or virtue inspire 
esteem, so long will the American breast exult that he was a native 
of this western world. . . . After the wanton conflagration and 
capture of our sister , Charlestown, and the untimely death of the 
hopeful Warren, the animating presence of Washington, who was 
received by our army at Cambridge, in July, 1775, elevated the 
drooping spirits of the troops, then forming the tardy blockade of 
Boston. Without discipline, badly armed, and destitute of artillery 
and every description of military stores, no operations against the 
enemy could be warrantably undertaken until the spring of the 
year 1776. In consequence of the approaches which better sup- 
plies had enabled the army to make against the enemy, General 
Washington then compelled them to abandon our capital. . . . He 
maintained, through all vicissitudes, a virtuous empire over the 
affections of his countrymen. . . . General Washington, in whom 
were combined the fine polish of Attic refinement with the stern- 
ness of Spartan virtue, resisted their solicitations with address, and 
their menaces with firmness ; and the faithful guardian of his coun- 
try's safety and honor, obeying the dictates of a severe but impos- 
ing policy, assigned the hapless Andre to the destiny of a spy. . . . 
Such is the structure and imbecility of the human mind, that 
praise is exceedingly prone to destroy its equilibrium; but the 
Aristides, as well as the Fabius, of the age, neither despondent in 
adversity nor elated with success, preserved a philosophical equa- 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 163 

nimity amid the most copious effusions of enthusiasm and pane- 
gyric; and when a Csesar would have assumed the purple, or a 
Cromwell usurped the protectorship, he resigned with eagerness 
the proud insignia of command, and converted the splendid weapons 
of war into the humble implements of the arts of peace. . . . The 
name of Washington is pronounced with pleasure and with pride 
by the people of every civilized nation on earth. . . . Thus was 
our much-loved friend, the Father of his Country, great in 
war, great in peace, great in life, and great in the moment of his 
dissolution. _ . . What though his once manly, graceful form be 
now mingling with its native dust ; yet Washington still lives 
immortal. Yes : he lives in his matchless example ; he lives in 
those lessons of wisdom that flowed from his pen ; he lives in our 
hearts, and in the hearts of a grateful country ; he lives, transport- 
ing thought ! resplendent in glory, in the realms of ceaseless day." 

The Rev. Dr. Osgood preached an appropriate sermon to 
his people on the great subject ; the town voted to print 
it, and to append to it Washington's " Farewell Address," 
and then to give a copy to each family in town. "When 
February 22 arrived, the meeting-house in Medford was 
open for religious exercises, and the day was kept as 
sacred. 

During the presidential canvass, in 1800, party lines began 
to assume definiteness, and that great contest of parties arose 
which has vexed and steadied the nation ever since. Med- 
ford took strongly the side of opposition to the policy of Mr. 
Jefferson and his immediate successor, and sustained the 
State government in a similar course. When the embargo 
of 1807 was laid, the people of Medford felt indignant. So 
near the sea, and so dependent on commerce, they became 
great sufferers. The sloop and schooner craft of our river 
became liable to irritating detentions on their shortest coast- 
wise trips, and could not undertake any profitable trade. 
Commerce, for the time, was struck dead. Fishermen could 
not sell their fish, or carry them where a market could be 
had ; men unaccustomed to manufactures could not engage 
in them with profit ; agriculture could be rendered available 
only in small degrees ; merchants, who would have had car- 
goes in every clime, were anchored in idleness per force ; 
mechanics, whom commerce fed, were reduced to want ; and, 
in short, a general paralysis struck down the labor and enter 
prise of the North. By recurring to the votes for Governor 
and members of Congress, during these two or three years, 
it will be seen how almost unanimously the inhabitants of 



164 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Medford went against the plans and policy of the central 
government. 

When the war with Great Britain was declared, June 18, 
1812, the town of Medford took decisive stand against this 
measure of Mr. Madison, and in their opposition were 
cheered and strengthened by their pastor, who seized every 
occasion that offered to hurl the thunders of the Old and 
New Testament, and his own also, upon the authors of the 
" abominable wickedness." The country sustained the 
government ; and the good effects which were anticipated 
from this series of measures showed themselves at last, and 
are now making New England rich and strong. The " Hart- 
ford Convention," which was called in the midst of the coun- 
try's struggle and gloom, December, 1814, had one member 
from Medford. That convention was supposed to be patri- 
otic and wise in its inception, but is now believed by many 
to have ended in words and smoke. 

The selection of General John Brooks, as candidate for the 
office of Governor of Massachusetts, gratified the people of 
Medford ; and, if party ties could have been sundered, it is 
believed he would have received the vote of every individual 
in the town. As it was, few only voted against him ; and, 
through seven elections, Medford stood by its son with 
unaltered affection. His refusal to continue in office cast a 
gloom through every family. Never was a man more truly 
or justly beloved. During his administration, Medford 
seemed to be the head of the Commonwealth. 

The coming into Medford of ship-carpenters who belonged 
to the Democratic party, and the gradual change of policy in 
the national administration, both helped to change the forces 
of town politics. As parties became more equally divided 
among us, the warmth of conflict increased ; and, on some 
occasions, it was fearfully great. The two parties wore several 
names between the administrations of Mr. Monroe and Mr. Van 
Buren ; but Medford became as fully and strongly " Demo- 
cratic " as it had once been "Federal." The first time a 
plurality was obtained by the Democratic party in Medford 
was April, 1828 ; and they lost it in 1854. 

The multiplication and mixture of new issues in politics 
have so broken society into divisions, and crumbled it into 
fragments, that old-fashioned patriots are confounded, and 
withdraw from the conflict altogether. A signboard, planted 
at the entrance of several roads, would not be a very safe 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 



165 



guide to a stranger, if it was made to perform, at the same 
time, the office of weathercock. "We have no doubt that this 
bewildering jumble of political parties in our country will 
lead to good and safe results. Each has its mission ; each 
works out its idea ; and, by their centripetal and centrifugal 
forces, they unexpectedly keep the country in the orbit of 
safety. The war carried on against Mexico, during Mr. 
Polk's administration, received the approbation and support 
of a majority of the inhabitants of Medford. That war gave 
a President to the United States, in a laurelled hero, who 
changed that majority in this town. 

Medford furnished a small number of soldiers for that 
war. No one of them was killed ; yet only one returned 
to reside here. 

Nov. 1, 1830- : Voted that the town approve of the Address 
of the Bunker-hill Monument Association, which has now 
been read, and " request their Representative to promote such 
appropriation." 

1831: Medford instructs its Representatives in the Gene- 
ral Court to oppose all measures which tend to make the 
number of Representatives in Massachusetts more than two 
hundred. 

A convention was called for revising the Constitution of 
Massachusetts ; and, Oct. 10, 1820, Nathaniel Hall and 
Abner Bartlett were chosen delegates. On the 9th April, 
1821, the town voted to accept the amended draft. The vote 
was as follows : — 



Art. 1 

„ 2 

„ 3 

„ 4 

„ 5 

„ 6 

„ 7 



Yes. No. 

57 24. 

40 42. 

63 17. 

59 22. 

54 28. 

71 11. 

47 33. 



Yes. No. 

Art. 8 75 7. 

„ 9 47 35. 

„ 10 43 39. 

„ 11 69 12. 

„ 12 68 14. 

„ 13 69 12. 

„ 14 61 21. 



Nov., 1833 : The town voted on an amendment of the 
Constitution of the State. It related to the third article in 
the Bill of Rights, which regulates the membership of 
parishes. By the amendment, any person may file with the 
clerk of the parish to which he belongs a written notice that 
he dissolves his relationship to that religious society, and it is 
thereby dissolved. The vote in Medford was one hundred 
and five yeas and twelve nays. 



1015 



HISTOKY OF MEDFORD. 



Another amendment was proposed in 1840, relating to the 
basis of representation in the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives. On this "thirteenth act of amendment of the 
Constitution of Massachusetts," Medford voted eighty-one 
yeas and one nay. 

In 1852, a Convention was called for revising the Consti- 
tution of the State ; and, March 7, 1853, William Hoskins 
was chosen delegate. 

Nov. 14, 1853 : The town voted on the acceptance of the' 
amended draft of the Constitution as follows : — 



Proposition No. 1 
o 



Yes. No. 

338 351. 

339 352. 
334 356. 
342 349. 



Proposition No. 5 

55 » 6 

7 

55 5) • 

11 11 8 



Yes. No. 

346 346. 

355 345. 

340 351. 

341 347. 



We seem to be in the midst of prophetic political saltations. 
The secret, sudden, and effectual dismemberment of the 
Whig, Democratic, and Free Soil parties, in this State, by the 
agency of an association improperly called " Know Nothings," 
gave a new character to the political affairs of Medford ; and, 
at the last gubernatorial election, the votes stood thus : — 

Henry J. Gardner, Know Nothing 423. 

Emory Washburn, Whig 147. 

Henry Bishop, Democratic . . . 29. 

H. Wilson, Free Soil 9. 

To the honor of Medford it should be recorded, that amid 
the fiercest contentions of political parties, and at their cau- 
cuses, and at their ballotings, there have never been instances 
of ruthless violence, or passionate menace, or systematic cor- 
ruption. The meetings have been marked with that decorum 
and self-respect which evince an intelligent and virtuous 
community. 



VOTES IN MEDFORD FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS. 



Dates of Election. Names. No. of Votes. 

Dec. 18, 1788. William Hull 16. 

Eleazer Brooks 11. 

Oct. 4, 1790. Elbridge Gerry 46. 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 



167 



Dates of Election. Names. No - of Vote *- 

Nov. 2, 1792. Suffolk, Fisher Ames 16. 

Essex, Benjamin Goodhue 16- 

Middlesex, Samuel Dexter ,12. 

FOB THE THREE COUNTIES, OR DISTRICT. 

Nov. 2, 1792. John Coffin Jones I 5 - 

FOR THE STATE AT LARGE, EXCEPT MAINE. % 

David Cobh ■"• 

Nov. 3, 1794. Benjamin Goodhue • • •• 30. 

Nov. 7, 1796. Samuel Sewall (unanimous). 

Nov. 5, 1798. Samuel Sewall 49. 

Nov. 3, 1800. Nathan Reed 83. 

Nov. 1, 1802. John Q. Adams Jo- 
William Eustice I 8 * 

Nov. 1804. Josiah Quincy 100. 

William Eustifig 31. S 

Nov. 3, 1806. Josiah Quincy 58. 

James Prince 22. 

Nov. 7, 1808. Josiah Quincy 120. 

William Jarvis 24. 

Nov. 5, 1810. Josiah Quincy 96 / 

David Tilden 18- 

Nov. 2, 1812. Asahel Stearns 72 - 

William M. Richardson H- 

Nov. 7, 1814. Asahel Stearns 191- 

Samuel Dana 17. 

Nov. 4, 1816. Asahel Stearns ISO- 
Timothy Fuller 20. 

Nov. 2, 1818. Samuel P. P. Fay 55. 

Timothy Fuller H- 

Nov. 6, 1820. Samuel P. P. Fay 34. 

Timothy Fuller 32. 

Nov. 4, 1822. Timothy Fuller 37. 

Nov. 1, 1824. Edward Everett 84. 

John Keyes 33. 

Nov. 6, 1826. Edward Everett 60. 

Nov. 3, 1828. Edward Everett 10°. 

Luke Fiske 64. 

Nov. 1, 1830. Edward Everett 72. 

James Russell 30. 

Nov. 10, 1832. No Record. 

Nov. 10, 1834. Samuel Hoar 109. 

Heman Lincoln 35. 

James Russell HO- 

Nov. 14, 1836. William Parmenter 164. 

Samuel Hoar 125. 



1G8 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Dates of Election. 

Nov. 12, 1838. 
Nov. 9, 1840. 
Nov. 4, 1842. 

Nov. 11, 1844. 

Nov. 9, 1846. 

Nov. 13, 1848. 

Nov. 11, 1850. 

Nov. 8, 1852. 

Nov. 13, 1854. 



Names. No. of Votes. 

William Parmenter 178. 

Nathan Brooks 1G4. 

William Parmenter 248. 

Nathan Brooks 216. 

Robert Rantoul, jun 275. 

Leverett Saltonstall 151. 

William B. Dodge 25. 

George Hood 254. 

Daniel P. King 211. 

Henry B. Stanton 57. 

Daniel P. King 157. 

George W. Dike 156. 

Increase H. Brown . 12. 

Daniel P. King 244. 

Robert Rantoul, jun 200. 

Caleb Stetson 70. 

Charles W. Upham 232. 

Robert Rantoul, jun 217. 

Samuel E. Sewall 64. 

Francis B. Fay 200. 

George Hood 192. 

John B. Alley 64. 

George Osborn 62. 

Nathaniel P. Banks 470. 

Luther V. Bell 136. 



COUNCILLORS AND SENATORS. 



John Brooks, Councillor . 1812. 
P. C. Brooks, „ . 1818. 

Timothy Bigelow, „ . 1820. 



James M. Usher, Senator, 1851. 
Sanford B. Perry, „ 1852. 
E. C. Baker, „ 1855. 



REPRESENTATIVES OF MEDFORD IN THE GENERAL COURT. 



Peter Tufts . . 
Peter Tufts. . 
Nathaniel Wade 
Peter Tufts . . 
Thomas Willis 
Ebenezer Brooks 
Thomas Willis 
Stephen Willis 
Thomas Tufts . 
Peter Tufts . . 
Thomas Tufts . 
John Bradshaw 
Samuel Brooks 



chosen 



1689. 
1690. 
1692. 
1694. 
1703. 
1704. 
1705. 
1708. 
1714. 
1715. 
1718. 
1722. 
1723. 



John Allford . 
Benjamin Willis 
William Willis 
John Hall . . 
William Willis 
Andrew Hall . 
Stephen Hall . 
Samuel Brooks 
Stephen Hall . 
Benjamin Hall 
Simon Tufts 
Benjamin Hall 
Thomas Brooks 



chosen 



1726. 
1730. 
1735. 
1741. 
1742. 
1744. 
1751. 
1762. 
1763. 
1770. 
1772. 
1775. 
1776. 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 



169 



T. Brooks, (under the Con- 


Frederick A. Kendall 


. 1834, 


stitution) .... 1780. 


Timothy Cotting . . . 


1834. 


Thomas Brooks 






1781. 


John King .... 


1835. 


Aaron Hall . . 






1782. 


James 0. Curtis . . 


1836. 


John Brooks . 






1785. 


George W. Porter . 


1837. 


James Wyman 






1787. 


Lewis Richardson . . 


1838. 


Thomas Brooks 






1788. 


Leonard Bucknam . , 


1838. 


Ebenezer Hall 






1789. 


Alexander Gregg 


1840. 


Nathaniel Hall 






1800. 


Thatcher R. Raymond 


1843. 


Timothy Bigelow 






1808. 


Gorham Brooks . . 


1846. 


Dudley Hall . . 






1813. 


Joseph P. Hall . . 


1847. 


Abner Bartlett 






1815. 


Thatcher R. Raymond 


1850. 


Turell Tufts . 






1824. 


Joseph P. Hall . . 


. 1851. 


Thatcher Magoun 






1825. 


James M. Usher . . , 


1852. 


John B. Fitch . 






1826. 


Joseph P. Hall . . 


1853. 


John Sparrell . 






1831. 


Jonathan Oldham 


1854. 


Thomas R. Peck 






1833. 







JUSTICES OF THE PEACE IN MEDFORD. 



{From Massachusetts Records.') 



Thomas Brooks . 


. Mar. 


27, 


1781. 


Luther Stearns 


. . Jan. 


27, 


1819. 


Benjamin Hall . 


>> 


>» 


>> 


Nathaniel Hall 


. . Aug. 


20, 


,, 


Stephen Hall, 3d 


• >» 


>> 


>» 


Abner Bartlett 


. . Jan. 


26, 


1820. 


Edward Brooks . 


• ,, 


>» 


»» 


Samuel Swan 


. Jan. 


12, 


1821. 


Timothy Fitch . 


. Sept. 


26, 


1783. 


Turell Tufts . 


. June 


16, 


,, 


John Brooks . . 


. Jan. 


28, 


1785. 


Abner Bartlett 


. . Feb. 


16, 


1822. 


John Brooks . . 


. Apri! 


26, 


1787. 


Jonathan Porter 


. . May 


7, 


,, 


Benjamin Hall . 


. Mar. 


u, 


1788. 


Dudley Hall . 


. . Jan. 


1, 


1823. 


Stephen Hall, jun. 


• >> 


» 


>> 


Jonathan Brooks 


• »> 


>f 


>» 


Thomas Brooks . 


■ >> 


>> 


»> 


John P. Bigelow 


. Feb. 


7, 


»» 


Aaron Putnam . 


. June 25, 


1789. 


William Ward 


. . Jan. 


7, 


1824. 


Thomas Brooks . 


. Feb. 


28, 


1795. 


Nathan Adams 


. Feb. 


8, 


1825. 


Ebenezer Hall . 


. April 16, 


1798. 


Nathaniel Hall 


. July 


7, 


1826, 


Samuel Swan 


. May 


29, 


,» 


Abner Bartlett 


. . Jan. 


4, 


1827. 


Samuel Swan 


. June 


13, 


1800. 


Turell Tufts . . 


. June 


5, 


1828. 


Nathaniel Hall . 


. Feb. 


3, 


1803. 


Jonathan Porter 


, . Feb. 


21, 


1829. 


Samuel Swan 


. Jan. 


29, 


1807. 


Dudley Hall . 


. Oct. 


19, 


n 


Timothy Bigelow 


. Nov. 


8, 


1808. 


Jonathan Brooks 


. Jan. 


30, 


1830. 


Nathaniel Hall . 


. Feb. 


2, 


1810. 


Peter C. Brooks 


. Dec. 


20, 


1831. 


Abner Bartlett . 


. Mar. 


6, 


it 


Nathan Adams 


. Jan. 


25, 


1832. 


Nathan Adams . 


. Feb. 


25, 


1811. 


Nathaniel Hall 


. May 


18, 


1833. 


Nathaniel Hall . 


. Nov. 


20, 


1812. 


Abner Bartlett 


. Dec. 


18, 


,» 


Isaac Brooks . . 


. Nov. 


21, 


»> 


Turell Tufts . 


, . Mar. 


28, 


1835. 


John Brooks . . 


. Feb. 


8, 


1813. 


Jonathan Porter 


. . Jan. 


27, 


1836. 


Samuel Swan 


• ,, 


20, 


99 


Dudley Hall . 


• Aug. 


30, 


,, 


Timothy Bigelow 


. July 


3, 


1815. 


John Sparrell . 


. Nov. 


24, 


»» 


Dudley Hall . . 


. Jan. 


27, 


1816. 


Thatcher Magoui 


i . Dec. 


6, 


»» 


Jacob Willard 


• July 


3, 


» 


Nathan Waite . 


• » 


31, 


>, 


William Ward . 


. Nov. 


20, 


>> 


Jonathan Brooks 


. Jan. 


6, 


1837. 


Abner Bartlett . 


. Feb. 


6, 


1817. 


Daniel Swan . . 


. July 


6, 


1838. 


Nathan Adams . 


• »> 


10, 


1818. 


Nathan Adams . 


. Jan. 


8, 


1839. 



22 



170 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Nathaniel Hall . 


. April 16, 


1840. 


Abner Bartlett . . 


Oct. 


12, 


1847 


Abner Bartlett . 


. Oct. 1, 


n 


James M. Usher . . 


Jan. 


1, 


1850 


Turell Tufts . 


. Feb. 22, 


1842. 


Judah Loring 


Feb. 


12, 


>> 


Jonathan Porter . 


. Dec. 17, 


>» 


Aaron K. Hathaway 


J» 


>> 


>> 


Henry Porter . 


Jan. 5, 


1843. 


Edmund T. Hastings 


>> 


>> 


>» 


Judah Loring 


. Feb. 25, 


» 


Alexander Gregg . 


»> 


») 


>> 


Alexander Gregg 


• »> >» 


>» 


John Sparrell . . 


July 


19, 


i, 


Dudley Hall . . 


. June 3, 


»> 


Thatcher Raymond 


Jan. 


31, 


1851 


John Sparrell . . 


. Aug. 20, 


>> 


Timothy Cotting 


April 


2, 


»! 


Thatcher Magoun 


. Aug. 29, 


1843. 


George W. Porter . 


April 


21, 


1852 


Jonathan Brooks 


. Jan. 1 , 


1844. 


T. P. Smith . . . 


June 


7, 


1853 


Sani'ord B. Perry 


. April 24, 


1847. 











COLONEL ISAAC ROYAL. 



As one of the wealthiest citizens of Medford was fright- 
ened into Toryism, in 1775, it may be fit to give a short 
notice of the facts, especially as they illustrate, by contrast, 
the deep devotion of the rest of our people to the cause of 
independence. Abundant evidence exists that Medford took 
an early and decisive stand against the oppressions of the 
Crown, and, when called upon, paid taxes, raised soldiers, 
and shed blood in defence of American liberty. 

Strong and steady opposers of independence there certainly 
were in the Colonies ; and it therefore required superior 
wisdom and courage to meet such domestic forces. The 
patriots were baptized by the royal government with the name 
of " rebels," and their doings called " the faction." A trial- 
question was brought before the Whigs and Tories in a town- 
meeting held at Boston in June, when a Tory moved to 
censure, and then annihilate, the " Committee of Correspond- 
ence." The Tory speaker said of the Committee : — 

" It is the foulest, subtlest, and most venomous serpent that ever 
issued from the eggs of sedition. It is the source of the rebellion. 
I saw the small seed when it was implanted ; it was as a grain of 
mustard. I have watched the plant until it has become a great 
tree ; the vilest reptiles that crawl upon the earth are concealed at 
the root ; the foulest birds of the air rest upon its branches. I now 
would induce you to go to work immediately, with axes and hatch- 
ets, and cut it down, for a two-fold reason : because it is a pest to 
society, and lest it be felled suddenly by a stronger arm, and crush 
its thousands in the fall." 

This called forth Samuel Adams, the author and right arm 
of the Committee ; and, with his upright intent, his manly 
voice, his profound good sense, his irresistible logic, and his 



COLONEL ISAAC ROYAL. 1<1 



New England heart, he crushed the specious declamation of 
the Tory orator. From Faneuil Hall the crowd went to the 
Old South Church ; and, so far from being censured, the Com- 
mittee was thanked, and told to go forward, whatever the 
consequences. The weaklings of royalty quailed before 
truth and right ; but they did not stop their vituperative 
tongues. There were no opprobious epithets in the language 
which they did not freely bestow on the patriot cause. One 
said, " The annals of the world have not been deformed with 
a single instance of so unnatural, so causeless, so wanton, so 
wicked a rebellion." The patriot leaders were called " calves, 
knaves, and fools;" "self-interested and profligate men; 
« the Boston saints." " The merchants form a part of those 
seditious herds of fools and knaves;" and "the generality 
of young Bostonians are bred up hypocrites in religion, and 
pettifoggers in law." Such were the words and arguments of 
the Tories against the cause of their country. No wonder 
that such abuse should stir the blood of James Otis and John 
Adams. The great question was now fairly brought before 
the country and the world ; and there«was left but one course 
for patriotism to pursue, — which was, to fight for liberty and 
independence. Our fathers met the issue ; and the great re- 
sults are now shaking Europe to its very centre. 

It is not necessary to say more here to introduce the topic 

under remark. . 

Medford had a very small number of Tories ; but they 
should have historical notice at our hands. Curwen says : — 

« Of nearly two hundred exiled Royalists who were banished by 
the government of Massachusetts, more than sixty were graduates 
of Harvard College. Of the five Judges of the Supreme Court of 
that Province at the commencement of the difficulties, the Hon. 
William Cushing alone was of patriot principles ; and he was 
afterwards on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United 
States." 

Our patriot fathers felt that they could not trust those to 
live among them who were the avowed enemies of freedom 
or the avowed supporters of the Crown. After long patience 
and ready allowances, the General Court felt called upon, in 
self-defence, to pass three acts. The first was passed Septem- 
ber, 1778, entitled "An act to prevent the return to this State 
of certain persons therein named, and others who have left this 
State, or either of the United States, and joined the enemies 



172 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

thereof." The second was passed April 30, 1779, and was 
entitled " An act to confiscate the estates of certain notorious 
conspirators against the government and liberties of the 
inhabitants of the late Province, now State, of Massachusetts 
Bay." The third was passed Sept. 30, 1779, and is entitled 
" An act for confiscating the estates of certain persons com- 
monly called absentees." 

It is worthy of note, that Colonel Royal's name does not 
appear in either of the three lists of proscribed persons, al- 
though he was for twenty-two years a member of the 
Governor's Council. It is apparent that he loved his country 
and his friends ; and could he have been assured, at the out- 
set, that the United States would secure their independence, 
and that he should be the undisturbed possessor of his beau- 
tiful country-seat in Medford, he would probably have taken 
side with his old friend, Dr. Tufts, and his young friend, 
Dr. Brooks, and given generously for the cause of freedom. 
But he was timid, and supposed, as such men generally did, 
that the entire army and navy of Great Britain would soon 
be here to burn, sink, and kill indiscriminately. His valor 
counselled him to run. But, be it recorded to the honor of 
the citizens of Medford, he was the only deserter. To carry 
on his farm after his departure, was found to be sometimes 
difficult ; for " the honest man's scythe refused to cut Tory 
grass, and his oxen would not plough Tory ground." 

The town of Medford proceeded gently and wisely in 
taking possession of the estates of Tories and absentees. The 
order of Court, under which they acted, was passed April, 
1776. "We find the following in our records : — 

" Copy of the return made to the General Court, pursuant to a 
resolve of the Great and General Court passed last April, the Com- 
mittee of Safety, &c, of the town of Medford have proceeded to 
take into their care the estates of sundry persons who are deemed 
inimical to the liberties of America, of which the following is a true 
account, viz. : — 

" Of the estate belonging to Joseph Thompson, late of Medford : 
one piece pasture land, and one piece marsh, which have been leased 
to Richard Crees, one year, for £7. 4s. A shop, leased to William 
Gowen for 40s. per annum. Half a dwelling-house, leased to 
Jonathan Patten, one year, for £6. 13s. 4d. Two-seventh parts of 
the following house and lands, being his share of his mother's 
thirds, undivided and not leased : a piece of plough-land, half an 
acre ; a piece mowing-land, one acre ; a wood-lot, four acres ; 
one-third of half a dwelling-house. 197,650 unburned bricks, 



COLONEL ISAAC ROYAL. 173 

1,886 feet pine boards, taken by the army, for which pay is pro- 
mised. A pew in our meeting-house, not leased. Thirty-two 
dozen of tile, sold for £3. 4s. 

" Of the estate belonging to Sir William Pepperell, viz. : a pew 
in our meeting-house, No. 16, not leased. 

" Of the estate belonging to one Clewly, in Halifax, left in the 
hands of Ichabod Jones, of Boston, his trustee : two pieces of land 
leased to Paul Wyman, one year, for £10. 

"Joshua Symonds, ~j 
Samuel Kidder, ( Committee 

Stephen Hall, jun., j of Safety, &c 
Ebenezer Hall, 
« Medford, Aug. 26, 1776." 

Dr. Simon Tufts, that skilful physician and polished gen- 
tleman, was persuaded to accept the agency of Colonel Royal's 
affairs during an absence which was meant to be short. The 
breaking out of hostilities so near to him as Lexington was 
too much for the colonel's courage ; and, through very fear, 
he started for he knew not where. He arrived safely in 
Halifax, and there wrote his friend, Dr. Tufts, May, 1775, 
urging him to become his agent in taking care of his pro- 
perty. This the doctor declined, but afterwards accepted. 
From Halifax, Colonel Royal wrote to Dr. Tufts, under date 
of March 12, 1776, concerning certain sales of slaves. His 
directions were as follows : — 

" Please to sell the following negroes : Stephen and George ; 
they each cost £60, sterling; and I would take £50, or even £15, 
apiece for them. Hagar cost £35, sterling; but I will take £30 for 
her. I gave for Mira £35, but will take £25. If Mr. Benjamin 
Hall will give the $100 for her which he offered, he may have her, 
it being a good place. As to Betsey, and her daughter Nancy, the 
former may tarry, or take her freedom, as she may choose ; and 
Nancy you may put out to some good family by the year." 

Colonel Royal was then on the eve of departure for Eng- 
land ; and he thus writes to his friend in Medford : — 

" I shall leave North America with great reluctance ; but my 
health and business require it ; and I hope, through the goodness of 
God, if my life is spared, to be able to return again soon." 

In August, 1777, Dr. Tufts had a letter from him, dated 
Kensington, England. Colonel Cary, who had married a 
lady from New York, occupied Colonel Royal's house in 



174 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

1778. The house and farm were rented for ,£200. At a 
later period, when three gentlemen bought the entire estate 
on speculation, expecting to realize large fortunes by dividing 
the whole into lots, there was a valuation of the lots, and the 
sum total was $81,996.00. A few lots were sold; and the 
dreams of Croesus became those of Belisarius. 

Colonel Royal's opinions and conduct respecting the strug- 
gles for independence subjected him to suspicion. The Com- 
mittee of Safety, in Medford, felt called upon to examine 
into facts ; and the testimony offered, April 9, 1778, was as 
follows : — 

" Several persons were this day examined respecting Colonel 
Royal's political behavior, who declared, in substance, as fol- 
lows : — 

" Simon Tufts, Esq., said he knew of nothing said Royal had 
said or done against the country ; but, on the contrary, he believed 
him to be a friend of the American cause. That said Royal being 
in Boston at and before the battle of Lexington, the confusion 
which that battle occasioned in the country made him afraid at that 
time and afterwards to return home ; and that said confusion, which 
prevailed in Boston, made him afraid to stay there ; accordingly he 
Went to Halifax, and from thence retired back into the country, and 
afterwards went to England. That, after said battle, said Royal 
sent him a letter of attorney, entreating him to take care of his 
estate here ; but he (said Tufts) declined it on account of his own 
business, and returned back said power. That, some time after, find- 
ing said Royal's estate in a wasting condition, he sent to said Royal, 
informing him that he would undertake the care of it ; and, some 
time after, he received a letter from said Royal, enclosing another 
power for that purpose, dated May 23, L775 ; upon which he under- 
took to act as his attorney. That he had since made said Royal no 
remittances of any of the rents or of the estate (agreeable to a 
promise he had made to a former Committee). That the State of 
Rhode Island having sequestered what of said Royal's estate lay 
within their jurisdiction, he had applied to the General Assembly 
there, and informed them of the letters he had received \ from said 
Royal, empowering him to take the care of his estate ; and that 
they, after examination made, delivered the said estate up to him ; 
and he has held it ever since, as attorney aforesaid. 

" Mr. Peter Tufts declared, That, about a fortnight before Lex- 
ington battle, Colonel Royal told him that it would not do for us to 
resist Great Britain, for they were too strong for us, and would 
send over ten thousand Russians, who would subdue us ; and that, 
by his conversation, it appeared to him (the said Tufts) that said 
Royal was for surrendering up all to Great Britain, rather than 
make resistance. 



COLONEL ISAAC ROYAL. 175 

"Mr. Samuel Winship declared, That, on Sunday before said 
battle, said Royal went in his* coach to Boston, and took with him. 
a pair of pistols and a carabine, but for what end he did not know, 
nor never heard ; that, at the same time, he left in his house two 
firearms, which Mr. Poor, some days after, carried to Water- 
town. 

" Captain Isaac Hall declared, That, the winter before said bat- 
tle, he went to settle accounts with said Royal, at his house ; and 
that said Royal 'showed him his arms and accoutrements (which 
were in very good order), and told him that he determined to stand 
for his country, &c. 

" Mr. Billings said, That he heard Captain Jenks say, that, 
a day or two before said battle, Colonel Royal sent for him, and 
desired him to go to Salem, and procure him a passage to Antigua 
in a vessel bound there ; and that he (said Jenks) would have 
gone, but the battle prevented him." 

To this testimony may be added that of Colonel Royal 
himself. In a letter to Dr. Tufts, dated " Kensington, April 
12, 1779/' he says : — 

" I doubt not you, and Mr. Hall, and the rest of my friends, will 
do all in your power to procure me liberty from the General Court 
to return home as soon as my health will admit of." 

He vindicated his character against the charge of treachery 
to his country ; and, in another letter, dated August 22, 
1779, says : — 

" When I was in the General Court, I made the public good my 
aim in every thing that I endeavored to do, which I think every 
man ought to." 

Mere fright should not be considered as constituting Tory- 
ism. A true Tory must have had a force of reason and 
sense of right wholly inconsistent with cowardice. Colonel 
Royal's force of mind was not sufficient to make him a strong 
enemy of any thing. He is mentioned in Curwen's letters ; 
and there Mr. George A. Ward speaks of him thus : — 

" Hon. Isaac Royal, of Medford, was remarked by every one for 
his timidity ; he halted between two opinions, respecting the Revo- 
lution, until the cannonading at Lexington drove him to Newbury- 
port, and then to Halifax ; and, after living some time in retirement, 
he embarked for Europe. He was a proscribed refugee ; and his 
estate, since that of Jacob Tidd, Esq., was confiscated. He died of 
small-pox, in England, October, 1781. His bounty laid the first 



176 HISTORY OF MEDFOHD. 

professorship of law at Cambridge ; and a legacy of plate to the 
first church in Medford shows that hi% regard for his country was 
not weakened by distance nor seared by proscription. He be- 
queathed more than two thousand acres of land, in Granby and 
Royalton, in Worcester County, for the establishment of the afore- 
said professorship. He was, for twenty-two years, a member of 
the Council. His virtues and popularity at first saved his estate, 
as his name was not included with those of his sons-in-law, Sir 
"William Pepperell and George Erving, in the ' Conspirator's Act;' 
but, on the representation of the Selectmen of Medford ' that he 
went voluntarily to our enemies,' his property was forfeited and 
taken under the Confiscation Act. He made bequests to Medford 
and Worcester, and legacies to the clergymen. While a member 
of the House of Representatives, he presented the chandelier which 
adorns its hall. 

" George Erving, Esq., merchant, of Boston, who married one 
of Colonel Royal's daughters, was a refugee included in the ' Con- 
spirator's Act.' He died in London, Jan. 16, 1806, aged 70. 

" General Sir William Pepperell, baronet, was born at Kittery 
Point, Maine, in 1696. He died at Kittery, June 6, 1759. 

" Colonel Royal was appointed one of the ' Mandamus Council- 
lors ' for this Province by his Majesty, Aug. 9, 179jU but he did 
not take the oath of office." 

1743 : He gave Charlestown £100, which was used to 
build a parsonage. While Representative, he returned to 
the town treasury his salary. In 1745, he gave X80 to the 
school on Charlestown Neck. 

By his will, he gave to Medford one hundred acres of land 
in Granby (South Hadley), "for the use and better support" 
of the common schools of the town. This Granby farm was 
sold, 1788, for one hundred dollars, to Mr. Richard Hall. 

Generosity was native with him, and shone the salient 
feature of his character. He loved to give, and loved to 
speak of it, and loved the reputation of it. Hospitality, too, 
was almost a passion with him. No house in the Colony 
was more open to friends ; no gentleman gave better din- 
ners, or drank costlier wines. As a master, he was kind to 
his slaves ; charitable to the poor, and friendly to everybody. 
He kept a daily journal, minutely descriptive of every visitor, 
topic, and incident, and even descended to recording what 
slippers he wore, how much tar-water he drank, and when 
he went to bed ! He was a strict observer of religious forms, 
and a generous supporter of Christian institutions. He was 
a Tory against his will. It was the frailty of his blood more 
than the fault of his judgment. Not that he loved the Colo- 



COLONEL ISAAC ROYAL. 1*77 

nies less, but that he feared England more. He wanted 
that unbending, hickory toughness which the times required. 
New England needed men who were as splinters from her 
own granite hills ; and he was not one of that type. 

His gift of two thousand acres of land to Harvard College, 
to found a Professorship of Law, was by his last will. His 
words concerning his gift are : — 

" To be appropriated towards the endowing a Professorship of 
Law in said College, or a Professorship of Physic or Anatomy, 
whichever the Corporation and Overseers of said College shall judge 
best for its benefit ; and they shall have full power to sell said lands, 
and put the money out to interest, the income whereof shall be lor 
the aforesaid purpose." 

These funds were left to accumulate till 1815, when it 
was deemed expedient to establish a Professorship of Law. 
The next year, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial 
Court of Massachusetts, Hon. Isaac Parker, was elected, 
bearing the title, " Royall Professor of Law." 

This learned and worthy man gave a course of lectures 
immediately; and, when thus brought in contact with 
college and legal education, he suggested the establishment 
of a « Law School at Cambridge." This recommendation 
was joyfully greeted ; and, in 1817, the law school was estab- 
' lished. Thus Colonel Royal was indirectly an originator of 
that school. Professor Parker held office for eleven years, 
and, in 1827, resigned. Hon. Asahel Stearns (brother of 
Dr. Stearns, of Medford) was then chosen, 1817, and served 
acceptably till 1829, when John Hooker Ashman succeeded. 
He died, in office, in 1833 ; and, in 1834, Hon. Simon Green- 
leaf was chosen, and performed his duties with eminent suc- 
cess. He resigned in 1848, and was succeeded by Hon. 
Theophilus Parsons, who is now in office. 

These distinguished jurisconsults have each paid a tribute 
of respect to the memory of Colonel Royal, of Medford, and 
have recognized him as the primal cause of the establishment 
of a permanent school for that second of sciences, junspru- 

QCD.CG* 

Colonel Isaac Royal was born, in the Island of Antigua, in 
1719. The English had established themselves there as 
early as 1636. The father of our townsman, who gave his 
own Christian name to his son, possessed great wealth, and, 
turning his eyes to Massachusetts, purchased of Eliza- 

23 



178 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

beth, widow of John Usher (Lieutenant-Governor), five 
hundred and four acres, three quarters, and twenty-three 
rods of land, for £10,350. Is. 9d., on the 26th December, 1732. 
The record runs thus : — 

" This estate is bounded south-west on Menotomy Road ; west, 
on land of Nathaniel Tufts, Aaron Cleveland, and John Tufts ; 
east, on the river and salt marsh of Captain Samuel Brooks in part, 
and part on river and salt marsh now improved by Josiah Whitte- 
more; and south-east, on land of said Whittemore, lying on both 
sides of Medfbrd or Mystic Road." 

Colonel Royal came here with his family in 1738. He died 
in Medford on Thursday, June 7, 1739, in the forenoon, 
was buried in Medford on Saturday, 10th inst., and was car- 
ried, the same night, to Dorchester, and there " buried in his 
marble tomb." His wife died April 21, 1747, and was buried 
from Colonel Oliver's house, in Dorchester. The tomb is 
entire at this time. His son, who seemed also to inherit his 
father's title of colonel, fixed his residence in the house now 
standing, and which is yet called the "Royal House." It 
was built by Colonel Royal, into its present form, by enlarging 
the house built by Lieutenant-Governor Usher on that spot. 
A thick wall, running through its centre, shows the outer 
wall of the former building. Some diversities in the height 
of rooms indicate the same fact. Its exterior form is a copy 
of a nobleman's house in Antigua ; and its present owner, 
Mrs. Tidd, has carefully preserved the form given to it by 
Colonel Royal. It was at first within the limits of Charles- 
town ; and Colonel Royal was chosen Representative by that 
town nine years in succession, from 1743 to 1752. In 1752, 
he was promoted to a seat at the Council Board, and, for 
twenty-two years, performed his duties acceptably in that 
office. 

When Harvard Hall was burnt, Jan. 24, 1764, and the 
entire library of the College destroyed, he contributed most 
generously for the purchase of another. The first mention 
of him in the Medford Records is May 8, 1754, when he 
was chosen Moderator in the town-meeting. For sixteen 
years, he was Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. 

He died of small-pox, in England, in 1781, and was buried 
there. His wife died in 1770. Funeral sermon by Rev. 
Mr. Turell. 

We have shown above how the virtues and hospitality of 
his character secured his estates from confiscation, when those 



COLONEL ISAAC ROYAL. 



179 



of his sons-in-law, Mr. George Erving and Sir William Pep- 
perell, were not spared. But when it was subsequently 
testified that " he had gone voluntarily to our enemies," and 
his estates were therefore confiscated in 1778, he writes 
to Mr. Edmund Quincy, of Boston, 1779, complaining bit- 
terly of this injustice, declaring that he had been prevented 
from returning to Medford solely by ill health. These 
acts of oppression, as viewed by him, did not weaken his 
attachment to this town ; for in his will, made in London in 
1779, he bequeathed generously to the clergymen of Med- 
ford, to the church, and the schools. Many valuable tokens 
he left to friends in Boston and to the town of Worcester. _ 

His daughter Elizabeth, who married the second Sir Wil- 
liam Pepperell, died on her passage to England, in 1775. 
Her husband died in London, in 1816, aged seventy. 

Although Colonel Royal's property in Medford was con- 
fiscated in 1778, it was kept together, and well guarded by 
officers appointed by the Judge of Probate. By the act of 
1777, the General Court empowered the Judge of Probate to 
nominate agents to take charge of the estates of absentees, 
with full power to keep and improve the same. Colonel 
Royal was an exception to the great body of royalists ; and, 
although the General Court dealt with his property as with 
that of a voluntary absentee, they nevertheless considered 
that it might be restored on his return to Medford. The 
laws which took effect on Colonel Royal were as follows : — 

January, 1778 : " Resolved, To prevent any person from returning 
into this State, who left it as aforesaid, unless such return be by the 
leave of the General Court." 

" April 30, 1778 : On petition of Simon Tufts. Resolved, That 
Simon Tufts, Esq., of Medford, be, and he hereby is, directed to 
deliver into the hands of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspec- 
tion, &c, of the town of said Medford, all the estate of Isaac 
Royal, Esq., that he, the said Tufts, has in his hands, which he, the 
said Royal, left in the said town of Medford. And the said Com- 
mittee of Medford are hereby directed to receive the same, and im- 
prove it in the best and most prudent manner they can agreeable to 
the resolves of this Court respecting absentees' estates. 

" And it is also resolved, That the several Committees of Corre- 
spondence, Inspection, &c, of such towns and plantations within 
this State, are directed to take possession of any estate in each town 
or plantation respectively that belonged to the said Isaac Royal 
when he left this State. And all such persons holding possession of 
any such estate are hereby directed to deliver possession thereof to 
such Committees respectively. And said Committee are further 



180 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

directed to observe the same rules relative thereto as they are 
ordered to do in managing the estates of other absentees." 

October, 1778 : The General Court order agents of estates 
of absentees to lay before them an account of all the property 
of such persons ; and, furthermore, resolve that none of the 
real estate shall be sold to pay their debts. 

Feb. 1, 1779 : The General Court resolved that all moneys 
received from rent or sale of the land of absentees be put 
into the treasury of the State. 

May 1, 1779 : The Court resolved to direct all agents to 
warn out the present possessors, and give possession to the 
new lessees of the State. 

May, 1779 : The General Court appointed a Committee to 
sell at auction the confiscated estates of certain absentees. 
Sir William Pepperell, the son-in-law of Colonel Royal, is 
named in the list ; but Colonel Royal is not. 

October, 1782 : The General Court resolved that the estates 
of absentees ought to be held to pay the just debts of said 
persons ; and therefore they order that the moneys received 
from the sale of such estates shall go to pay the creditors, 
deducting three per cent to the State for expenses. 

The mode of restoring the estate of Colonel Royal to his 
heirs, and their disposition of it, may be learned from the 
following documents. 

Extract from the deed given by Henry Hutton and Eliza- 
beth Royal Hutton, of England, to Mr. Robert Fletcher, of 
London, dated London, Feb. 25, 1806. It refers to the 
powers granted by the Legislature : — 

" And whereas, by an act of the Legislature of Massachusetts, 
passed on or about the 31st January, 1805, it was enacted or 
resolved that the Hon. James Sullivan, Attorney-General of said 
Commonwealth, and the Hon. Christopher Gore, or the survivors 
of them, should be, and they were, thereby authorized to make and 
execute a deed of conveyance of the said lands, messuages, and 
tenements, formerly belonging to the said Isaac Royal, to the said 
Robert Fletcher, his heirs and assigns, in fee simple, in manner and 
form, as was provided, by the act passed on the 8th of March, 1792, 
entitled 'An act for providing a more easy and simple method than 
was then in use for barring estates in tail in lands, and for making 
the same liable for the payment of the debts of tenants in tail ; ' 
and that such deed, executed and acknowledged by the said James 
Sullivan and Christopher Gore, Esqrs., or the survivors of them, and 
recorded in the Registry of Deeds, in the Counties of Middlesex 
and Norfolk respectively, should be as good and sufficient in law, 



MILITARY HISTORY. 181 

and should have the same force and effect, as though the same were 
made, executed, and acknowledged by Charles Henry Hutton, the 
eldest son of the said Henry Hutton and Elizabeth Royal, his wife, 
when of full age and in possession of the said premises. 

" And that, for and notwithstanding any act, matter, or thing done 
by them, or either of them, they have good right and lawful authori- 
ty to sell and convey the said houses, lands, tenements, pew, and 
hereditaments, with their appurtenances, unto and to the use ot the 
said Robert Fletcher, his heirs and assigns." 

The deed was for "five hundred acres of land,™ the 
west side of Mystic River, with the mansion-house ; " for all 
which Mr. Fletcher agreed to pay X 16,000. 

These legislative acts and public documents show that 
Colonel Royal's property in Medford was dealt with at last 
after the manner of other absentees ; that it came into legal 
possession of the State, and was put under the care of the 
Medford " Committee of Inspection," and all the rents and 
incomes paid into the treasury of the State. For twenty- 
seven years it continued in this situation, when a petition or 
claim of the heirs of Colonel Royal was preferred lhe 
records of these details we have not been able to find ; but 
the final results are seen in the legislative grants of 1805. 

We take leave of our townsman with the remark, that he 
was so generous a benefactor, so true a friend, so useful a 
citizen, and so good a Christian, that we forget he was a Tory, 
— if he was one. Happy would it be for the world, if at 
death every man could strike, as well as he did, the balance 
of this world's accounts. 



CHAPTER V. 



MILITARY HISTORY. 



1630 • The first tax levied on the inhabitants of Medford 
was the sum of £3, for the paying of two instructors m 
military tactics. The hostile Indians, and the more hostile 
wild animals, soon placed guns, swords, powder, and ball 
among the necessaries of life. To be "a good marksman 
became one of the first accomplishments. 



182 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The legal equipment of a soldier was as follows : — 

"A musket (firelock or matchlock), a pair of bandoleers, a pow- 
der-pouch, with bullets, a sword, a belt, a worm, a scourer, a rest, 
and a knapsack. His pay 18s. a month, and diet, and pillage; and 
his town to provide him with a month's provisions ; viz., thirty 
pounds of biscuits, twelve of pork, twenty of beef, one half-bushel 
of pease or meal. The leader to receive 40s. per month. The 
towns to bear their share of the loss of arms. A list of the men 
and their arms to be handed in to the Court." 

The men of Medford, Cambridge, and Charlestown formed 
one company. We can see exactly how one of our Medford 
soldiers looked in his military array in 1635. The bandoleer 
was a large leathern belt for supporting the gun. It passed 
over the right shoulder, and under the left arm. The two 
kinds of guns used by our fathers were called " firelock " and 
" matchlock." The first kind had a flint, which struck fire 
into the pan ; the second was without a flint, and therefore 
required a match to be applied to the powder. 

It will give us some idea of the habits and customs of the 
people in Medford when we read the following law, passed 
July 26, 1631: — 

" Ordered that, every first Friday in every month, there shall be 
a general training of them that inhabit Charlestown, Mistick, and 
the Newtown, at a convenient place about the Indian wigwams ; 
the training to begin at one of the clock in the afternoon." 

"March 22, 1631: General Court. Ordered that every town 
within this jurisdiction shall, before the 5th of April next, take 
especial care that every person within their town (except magis- 
trates and ministers), as well servants as others, be furnished with 
good and sufficient arms." 

Aug. 7, 1632: It is ordered that the captains shall be main- 
tained (on parade-days) by their several companies." 

"March 4, 1635 : It is ordered that, from this day forward, the 
captains shall receive maintenance out of the treasury, and not 
from their companies." 

"Nov. 20, 1637: It was ordered that training should be kept 
eight times in a year,* at the discretion of the chief officers. Ma- 
gistrates and teaching elders are allowed each of them a man free 
from trainings ; and the deacons of the several churches are freed 
in like manner." 

The first rule was this : " Their meetings shall begin with 
prayer." 



MILITARY HISTORY. 183 

At this early period, none were allowed to vote for military- 
officers except freemen, and they " who have taken the oath 
of residents." Freemen had a right to vote in these elec- 
tions, although they were not enrolled as members of the 
trainband. Officers must be freemen, since none others 
were eligible to offices in the State. 

The captain was required to take oath. The fines gathered 
were to be expended in buying drum-heads for the company, 
and arms for poor men. Ship-carpenters, fishermen, and 
millers were excused from training. Millers were excused, 
because, in tending tide-mills, they were often obliged to be 
at work through the night. 

Certain persons were appointed in Med ford as watchers of 
the Indians and wild beasts. March 9, 1637 : — 

" All watchers shall come to the public assemblies with their 
muskets fit for service." 

Same date : — 

" No person shall travel above one mile from his dwelling-house 
without some arms, upon pain of 12d. for every default." 

In 1637, two hundred men, as warriors, were to be raised 
in Massachusetts. The following towns furnished numbers 
in proportion to their population: Boston, 26; Salem, 18; 
Saugus, 16 ; Ipswich, 17 ; Newbury, 8 ; Roxbury, 10 ; 
Hingham, 6 ; Meadford, 3. 

May 14: " Ordered that there shall be a watch of two a night 
kept in every plantation till the next General Court." 

June 2, 1641 : " Ordered that all the out- towns shall each of them 
have a barrel of gunpowder." 

Sept. 15, 1641: On this day began a "muster," which 
lasted two days : twelve hundred soldiers. And though 
there was " plenty of wine and strong beer," yet " no man 
drunk, no oath sworn, no quarrel, no hurt done." Can so 
much be said now 1 

Sept. 7, 1643 : The General Court thus say : — 

" It is agreed that the military commanders shall take order that 
the companies he trained, and some man, to be appointed by them, 
in each town, to exercise them." 

"Arms must be kept in every family." These warlike 
preparations would lead us to infer that our Medford ances- 



184 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

tors belonged not only to the church militant, but also to the 
state militant. To show the extremest care of our first set- 
tlers on this very point, we need quote only the following 
order : — 

"May 14, 1645: Ordered that all children within this jurisdic- 
tion, from ten to sixteen years of age, shall be instructed by some 
one of the officers of the band, or some other experienced soldier 
whom the chief officer shall appoint upon the usual training-days, 
in the exercise of arms, as small guns, half-pikes, bows and arrows, 
according to the discretion of said officer." 

1647: "Persons unable to provide arms and equipments for 
militia duty, on account of poverty, if he be single, and under 
thirty years of age, shall be put to service, and earn them. Mus- 
queteers, among their articles of equipment, are to have two 
fathoms of match. 

" Whoever refuses to do duty, when commanded, shall be fined 
five shillings." 



'o'- 



May 2, 1649: The General Court issue the following: — 

"It is ordered that the Selectmen of every town within this 
jurisdiction shall, before the 24th of June, which shall be in the 
year 1 650, provide for every fifty soldiers in each town a barrel of 
good powder, one hundred and fifty pounds of musket bullets, and 
one-quarter of a hundred of match." 

May 26, 1658 : The General Court say : — 

" In answer to the request of the inhabitants of Meadford, the 
Court judgeth it meet to grant their desire ; i. e., liberty to list them- 
selves in the trainband of Cambridge, and be no longer compelled 
to travel unto Charlestown." 

As several of Mr. Cradock's men were fined at different 
times for absence from training, we infer that the military 
exercises required by law were very strictly observed in 
Medford ; and how it could have been otherwise, after so 
many special laws and regulations, we do not see. It seemed 
a first necessity of their forest-life to protect themselves from 
the wily Indian and the hungry bear. These military pre- 
parations were not suspended for a century. As late as Aug. 
4, 1718, the inhabitants of Medford voted £10 to buy powder 
for their defence against the Indians. 

" Every person enlisting in the troop is required to have a good 
horse, and be well fitted with saddle, &c. ; and, having listed 



MILITARY HISTORY. 185 

his horse, he shall not put him off without the consent of his 
captain." 

The powder and balls belonging to the town were not de- 
posited always in the same place ; and, March. 3, 1746, 
" Voted that Captain Samuel Brooks shall have the keeping 
of the town's stock of ammunition." 

1668: This year the Court took a step which was not 
popular. They resolved to exercise the power which they 
thought they possessed; viz., of nominating all the military 
officers. The taking away of " so considerable a part of their 
so long-enjoyed liberty " met with decided opposition ; and, 
when our Medford company was organized, the town did not 
allow the Court to nominate the officers. 

Up to this time, we hear little of " musters ; " and we pre- 
sume that large assemblies of soldiers at one place were not 
common. The military organization must necessarily have 
been very simple and limited at first ; and the idea of " divi- 
sions," " battalions," " regiments," as with us, must have been 
of a much later period. 

One fact, however, is clear ; and that is, that these habitual 
preparations for defence and war gradually educated the colo- 
nists to that personal courage and military skill which 
rendered them so powerful in their war with Philip, and thus 
prepared them for achieving the victories of the Revolution. 
In 1675, they beat King Philip ; in 1775, they beat King 
George ; and, in 1875, they may beat all the kings of the 
earth. 

This deep interest in military affairs made our forefathers 
wakefully anxious on the subject of the election of officers in 
the trainbands. It was an event in which every person in 
town, male and female, felt that his or her safety might be 
deeply concerned. The law carefully guarded the rights of 
the people in this act ; and, therefore, did not leave so im- 
portant a trust to be conferred by the members of the com- 
pany alone, but made it the duty of the whole town to choose 
the three commanding officers. On the first occasion, when 
this power was to be exercised by the whole town, the Select- 
men issued a warrant for a meeting of all the inhabitants who 
had a right to vote. The warrant was dated May 18, 1781, 
and was issued " in the name of the Commonwealth of Massa- 
chusetts, for the purpose of choosing militia officers, as set 
forth in the Militia Act." This was the sole business of the 
meeting. The result was as follows : — 

24 



186 HISTORY OF MEDFORD., 

Caleb Brooks chosen .... Captain. 

Stephen Hall, 4th 1st Lieutenant. 

Daniel Tufts 2d Lieutenant. 

Here appears the great democratic principle of popular 
election of military leaders, wherein the majority of voters 
decide the whole case. 

It was customary for the newly elected officer, not only to 
" treat the company," but to treat everybody else who repaired 
to his house at the appointed time. These were deemed the 
occasions in which freedom was liberally interpreted. Meat 
and bread were provided for food ; but punch and flip were 
furnished in such overflowing abundance, that some visitors 
took many more steps in going home than in coming. It was 
expected, moreover, that the captain would treat his soldiers on 
parade-days. This item, added to other necessary expenses, 
made quite a draft on the chief officer's purse, as well as time. 
There are some conventional usages whose antiquity can be 
very safely assumed; and this of "treating the soldiers" is 
emphatically one. So late as our day it has continued ; and 
the temperance reformation has hardly yet arrested it. 

Although we have recorded the organization of a military 
corps in 1781, whose officers were chosen by the town, ac- 
cording to the laws then existing, there were soldiers in 
Medford from 1630 to that time. What the exact rules and 
regulations respecting enlistment were in the middle of the 
seventeenth century, we cannot discover. There were com- 
position companies ; and the associations were often accidental, 
according to contiguity of place. They in Medford, who 
were " watchers," were soldiers ; and the annual provision of 
town powder snows that the ammunition was used. There 
was a company of militia in Medford before the Revolution ; 
and, when troublesome times came, they were ready for duty. 
It was the eighth company in the first regiment of the first 
brigade of the third division. Seth Bullard was Captain ; 
William Burbeck, 1st Lieutenant ; and Ezekiel Plympton, 2d 
Lieutenant. It belonged to Colonel Thomas Gardner's regi- 
ment. In 1775, it was commanded by Captain Isaac Hall. 
"This company game out," says the Adjutant-General, "on 
the 19th of April, 1775, and were in service five days, and 
were undoubtedly in the battles of Lexington and Concord." 
The names of the men composing the company on that 
memorable occasion are all recorded on the muster-roll ; and 
they were all Medford men, as follows : — 



MILITARY HISTORY. 187 

Isaac Hall, Captain ; Caleb Brooks, Lieutenant ; Stephen Hall, 
Ensign ; Thomas Pritchard, Isaac Tufts, and Moses Hall, Ser- 
geants ; John Tufts, Gersham Teel, and Jonathan Greenleaf, Corpo- 
rals ; Timothy Hall. Drummer; William Farning, Fifer. Privates 
as follows : David Vinton, John Bucknam, Isaac Watson, Jonathan 
Lawrence, Jonathan Davis, Abel Richardson, James Tufts, jun., 
Samuel Tufts, 3d, Andrew Floyd, Benjamin Floyd, Andrew Blan- 
chard, Samuel Tufts, John Francis, jun., Paul Dexter, John Smith, 
Abel Butterfield, Josiah Cutter, John Kemp, Eleazer Putnam, 
James Bucknam, jun., Aaron Crowell, Jonathan Tufts, Benjamin 
Peirce, Thomas Wakefield, Jonathan Teel, Aaron Blanchard, Rich- 
ard Cole, William Binford, Thomas Bradshaw, Daniel Tufts, Peter 
Tufts, jun., Ebenezer Tufts, Isaac Cooch, Daniel Conery, Richard 
Paine, William Polly, Peter Conery, David Hadley, Jacob Bedin, 
Joseph Clefton, Samuel Hadley, jun., Moses Hadley, John Callen- 
der. John Clarke, Andrew Bradshaw, Thomas Savels, Francis Hall, 
and Benjamin Savils. 

Here are fifty-nine Medford men in actual service ; and the 
State paid them for their services £28. 16s. 5c?. 

Each man received pay for five days' service, except 
William Polly, who was killed in battle. 

Captain Isaac Hall made a report of his company to the 
heads of the department, Oct. 6, 1775, then stationed on 
Prospect Hill. He resigned, before the end of the year, for 
the purpose of taking command of another company ; and 
Lieutenant Caleb Brooks was chosen captain in his stead, and, 
as such, made a report, January 3, 1776. 

The corps which Captain Isaac Hall commanded " was 
made up of men from Medford, Charlestown, Woburn, Mai- 
den, Cambridge, and Stoneham, and were called the eight 
months' men." They enlisted for that time ; and, in addition to 
their pay, each one was to have a coat at the expiration of his 
enlistment. Eight of this company belonged to Medford ; 
and they were the following : Isaac Hall, Captain ; Caleb 
Brooks, Lieutenant. The privates were : Benjamin Floyd, 
James Wyman, Jonah Cutler, John Smith, William Buck- 
nam, and Joseph Bond. The last named was discharged 
June 7, 1775 ; the rest served out the eight months, and were 
on the "coat roll," so called, — which fact secured a pension 
from the United States. Some took money instead of a coat. 
Some time afterwards, Captain Hall testified that Samuel In- 
galls, one of his company, " has bin imprizoned in Cannedy, 
and hain't receeved no coat." This company was ordered by 
General Washington, in March, 1776, to be " marched from 



188 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Medford to the Heights in Dorchester." They were in 
service there only four days. 

The Medford militia, whose trainings we of latter days 
have witnessed, is mentioned for the first time in the " First 
Roster," in 1787 ; but, in the earlier and more confused 
records, there is recognition of a Medford company in 1781. 
The names of the officers are erased ! A vacuum then occurs. 
After this, the commanders of the company were as fol- 
lows : — 

Moses Hall chosen Captain . . Jan. 12, 1787. 

Samuel Teel March 29, 1788. 

Abijah Usher May 26, 1795. 

Gardner Greenleaf Oct. 23, 1798. 

Samuel Newell April 17, 1801. 

Nathan Adams April 26, 1802. 

Samuel Thompson April 3, 1804. 

Until this time, this company had belonged to the first 
regiment of the first brigade of the third division ; but now 
a new regiment, the fifth, was formed, and Medford, Charles- 
town, and Maiden composed it. The next captain of the 
Medford company was B,ufus Frost, chosen May 12, 1806. 
He resigned, and was discharged March 10, 1810. He was 
re-elected April 3, 1810, but he "refused to qualify." The 
next captains were : — 

Henry Reed chosen .... July 2, 1810. 

Daniel Copeland Feb. 27, 1812. 

Henry Todd April 2, 1816. 

Galen James March 16, 1818. 

Moses Merrill April 14, 1820. 

John T. White May 4, 1824. 

John Sparrell Aug. 6, 1827. 

L. O. Chase May 3, 1836. 

It was disbanded under a general order, April 24, 1840. 

Whatever confusion may seem to belong to one or two of 
these records, could doubtless be rendered clear if it had been 
the custom to make prompt and accurate returns, and also to 
keep the rolls as methodically as they are at present. " Mi- 
nute-men " were frequently organized, and no official registry 
made of them. Members of one company would join another 
for a single campaign of actual service, and, at their return, 
take their former places in the rank and file. 

In 1828, when the Medford Light Infantry had resigned 



MILITARY HISTORY. 189 

its charter, Captain John Sparrell was ordered to enroll its 
members in his company. He did so ; and, in that autumn, 
he appeared at a muster in Maiden with one hundred and 
ninety-six men, rank and file. 

Let us now return to our history near the close of the 
eighteenth century. 

In 1797, a " general muster " took place in Concord, Mid- 
dlesex County ; and it engaged the attention of the whole 
community. The war of the Revolution had made the 
management of regiments and divisions an easy thing ; and 
the soldier-feeling of '75 and '83 had not much abated. A 
gathering of several regiments, therefore, was a most joyous 
event in this community. Medford made it a town matter, 
and voted to pay each soldier two dollars, and to give each 
a half-pound of powder. These musters became the occa- 
sions of great dissipation. They seemed to be a mustering 
of all the evils of a community. " Egg-pop " was the favor- 
ite drink; and "wrestling," the "ring," "pawpaw," " hust- 
ling," and "wheel of fortune," the prevalent amusements. 
Intemperance, gambling, fisticuffs, ribaldry, theft, and noise 
were in the ascendant ; and the injury to youthful spectators 
was inconceivably great. 



MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY. 

The members of this company petitioned the Governor 
and Council to be oi'ganized, as an independent corps, under 
the law of Nov. 29, 1785. As that law was very peculiar, 
and gave rights seemingly at variance to general military 
usage, it may be worth while to extract the two sections 
which contain the extraordinary provisions. They are as 
follows : — 

" Be it therefore enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That when 
any Major-General, commander of a division of militia in this Com- 
monwealth, shall certify to the Governor, that, in his opinion, it will 
be expedient, and for the good of the Commonwealth, that one or 
more companies of cadets, or other corps, should be raised, in his 
division, the Governor, with advice and consent of the Council, be, 
and he is hereby, authorized and empowered (if he judge expe- 
dient) to raise such cadet company, companies, or corps ; and, when 
any such company or corps shall be raised, they shall elect their offi- 
cers in the same manner, and in the same proportion, as is provided 
for the election of officers of other companies and corps of militia in 



190 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

this Coramonweath ; and the officers so elected shall he commis- 
sioned by the Governor. Provided, always, that no such cadet 
company or corps shall be raised in any of said divisions, when, by 
means thereof, any of the standing companies within the same would 
be reduced to a less number than sixty privates. 

" And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That the 
said companies or corps, when raised and organized, shall be under 
the command of the Major-General of the division in which they 
shall be respectively formed, and shall be subject to the rules and 
regulations that are already, or may hereafter be, provided by the 
Legislature, or the Commander-in-chief of the militia of this Com- 
monwealth, for the general government of the militia." 

It will be observed that these companies might be raised 
by the recommendation of the Major-General, and the officers 
and members composing them may be scattered in the differ- 
ent towns within the division. Cases occurred where the 
three superior officers lived in separate towns. On this 
account, these corps were called divisionary companies. 
Another peculiarity was, that they were subject to the order 
of the Major-General alone, and were never commanded by 
a Brigadier-General. They were not connected with any 
brigade, but took the place of a brigade ; and on the field, at 
a general review, they took the right, because they were 
commanded only by the Major-General. This right, or 
assumption, often caused trouble on great muster-days ; and 
once, when the Brigadier-General ordered the Medford Light 
Infantry to take the left, the Captain marched his company 
off the field, and returned to Medford without being reviewed. 
They maintained their cause, and never yielded their priority. 
The Weston Infantry was organized under the same law, 
but always gave precedence to the Medford on account of 
its greater age. 

1789 : When General Washington made his visit at Cam- 
bridge, he was attracted by the superior appearance of the 
Medford company on parade, and took great pains to ask 
General Brooks what corps it was. He passed a high com- 
pliment on it. 

There were many companies organized in the Common- 
wealth under the law ; some artillery, some cavalry, but 
generally infantry. On general review-days, the Major- 
General and his staff would ride and stop in front of a bri- 
gade, and there go through with their examinations and 
reviews : when they came to the Medford Light Infantry, 
they would all stop, and go through the same examinations 



MILITAKY HISTORY. 191 

and reviews which belonged to a brigade. This was any 
thing but agreeable to the reviewing officers and to the sol- 
diers of the regular brigades. Few only of these companies 
remain in commission. The Boston and Salem Cadets are 
yet flourishing. In 1840, the question of the companies, 
organized under the law of 1785, taking the right of brigades, 
came up again, and was decided against the divisionary corps ; 
and they are now " subject to the rules and regulations that 
are already provided for the general government of the 
militia." 

Major-General Brooks certified to the Governor, in 1786, 
that he thought it expedient that a divisionary corps should 
be raised in his division ; and, as the Medford Light Infantry 
had united in petitioning for organization, the petition was 
granted, and the organization took place Nov. 29, 1786. 
The choice of officers on that day resulted as follows : — 

Ephraim Hall Captain. 

Francis Hall Captain's Lieutenant. 

Samuel Buel Lieutenant. 

The office of Ensign was not deemed indispensable ; and 
none was chosen till May 3, 1791, when J. Bucknam was 
elected. The names of the commanders of this long-respected 
and efficient company are as follows : — 

Ephraim Hall (promoted to an aide-de-camp in 1790) 1786 to 1790. 

Name unknown 1790 1798. 

Andrew Hall 1798 1803. 

Ebenezer Hall, jun 1803 1806. 

Nehemiah Wyman, of Charlestown 1806 1808. 

Caleb Blanehard 1808 1809. 

John Cutter 1809 1811. 

Ephraim Bailey 1811 1814. 

J. P. Clisby 1814 1815. 

Thomas Shed 1815 1818. 

Gersham Cutter 1818 1821. 

John P. Bigelow 1821 1823. 

Martin Burrage 1823 1824. 

Edmund Symnes 1824 1827. 



On the 11th of January, 1828, it resigned its commission, 
and has never been revived. For. the first twenty-five years 
of its existence, this company stood among the first for cele- 
rity and grace of drill-exercise and martial manoeuvre. It 
felt that it had a sort of brigade character to sustain ; and the 



192 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

ambitious young men of Medford joined heartily to make it 
the banner corps of the county. 

In the war of 1812, this company was called to guard the 
powder-house, and did duty there for some weeks. 

The zeal for military display declined after 1814, and 
there was only an annual training for keeping up the show 
of warlike preparation. '' 

March 7, 1831 : One hundred knapsacks were ordered by 
the town for the use of the militia. 



BROOKS PHALANX. 

Sept. 22, 1841: Fifty-two citizens of Medford petitioned 
the Governor for a charter to establish a company of volun- 
teer militia, to be attached to the fifth regiment of infantry, 
in the first brigade and third division of Massachusetts mili- 
tia. This petition was granted ; and the company adopted the 
name of Brooks Phalanx, in honor of his late Excellency 
Governor Brooks. 

Oct. 11, 1841: The following officers were chosen: — 



Samuel Blanchard Captain. 

II. N. Peck 1st Lieutenant. 

Joseph W. Mitchell 2d Lieutenant. 

James B. Greg"; 3d Lieutenant. 



"&b 



A Constitution and By-laws having been adopted, the first 
parade was on the 22d of August, and seldom has any com- 
pany appeared better. 

Aug. 21, 1843 : The ladies of Medford presented the Pha- 
lanx with a beautiful standard. The ceremony took place 
before the meeting-house of the first parish, and was worthy 
the occasion. 

Captain Blanchard having been promoted to the office of 
Lieutenant-Colonel, he resigned his office as commander 
of the Phalanx ; and, Nov. 13, 1844, James W. Brooks was 
chosen as his successor. In 1846, Captain Brooks was 
honorably discharged ; and, April 10, Charles Caldwell 
was elected Captain. After serving acceptably, he resigned ; 
and, May 9, 1849, Gilman Griffin was elected in his place. 
The last meeting held by the company was Dec. 18, 1849, 
when it was concluded to discontinue the organization, resign 
the charter, and return the standard to the ladies who gave 
it. The standard was placed in the Town Hall. 



MILITARY HISTORY. 193 



LAWRENCE LIGHT GUARD. 

This young and enthusiastic corps begins its military 
career under the most favorable auspices ; and every one 
wishes it prosperity. It is composed wholly of Medford 
men, and it will sustain a Medford reputation. It was orga- 
nized Oct. 1, 1854 ; and its officers, chosen with unanimity, 
are as follows : — 

Henry W. Usher Captain. 

Asa Law 1st Lieutenant. 

Thomas R. Hadley 2d Lieutenant. 

Samuel Lawrence 3d Lieutenant. 

B. W. Parker 4th Lieutenant. 

The number, including rank and file, is sixty. Their first 
parade was Oct. 12, 1854, when they were exercised in firing 
at a target. They are Company E, Fifth Regiment Light 
Infantry. 

There was a military manoeuvre designed and executed 
by Captain Thomas Pritchard, of Medford, while in com- 
mand at New York, which deserves honorable mention. 
The English had taken possession of the city, Sept. 15, 1776, 
but were greatly annoyed by the American forces in its 
neighborhood. Captain Pritchard was personally known to 
some of the British officers, and he was remarkable for his 
celerity and skill in the war tactics. One day he had been 
making explorations with his company, when he came unex- 
pectedly among a large force of British cavalry in a road. 
The English commander cried out to him, " Well, Pritchard, 
we've got you at last." " Not exactly," replied Pritchard ; 
and he immediately ordered his men to form across the road, 
and to prepare for a charge. The cavalry stopped. The 
wind was favorable to carry the smoke of Pritchard's fire 
directly among the enemy. The English commander felt 
that there must be great loss to him if he should open a fire, 
owing to the narrow defile and the adverse wind. He there- 
fore stood still. To retreat, and also to gain time, was 
Pritchard's policy ; and he accomplished it thus : He walked 
behind his men, and touched every other one in the whole 
line, and then ordered those that he had touched to retreat 
backwards twenty steps. They did so, and there halted. 
This position kept each of his men in a fit order to fire 
or to charge, as might be necessary. As soon as this 

25 



194 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

half had halted, he ordered the remaining half to retreat 
slowly in the same way ; to pass through the line, and retreat 
twenty steps behind the front rank. They did so success- 
fully. The cavalry rushed forward, but did not fire. Prit- 
chard's men understood the movement, and were not terrified 
at superior numbers. They continued to retreat in this 
unassailable and American fashion for nearly an hour, when 
the narrow road ended in a broken, rocky pasture. Now 
their destruction seemed certain. Captain Pritchard saw 
near him a ledge of rocks and a narrow pass. He resolved 
to get there if he could. But how could it be done ? The 
enemy had now come out, and nearly surrounded him. He 
formed his men into a hollow square, and ordered them to 
retreat sideways towards that narrow pass. They did so, 
each keeping his place, and presenting his bayonet to the foe. 
They reached the rock ; and there they must stop. With their 
backs to the precipice, and their face to the enemy, they must 
now surrender or die. They had resolved to try the chances 
of battle. The British had now come round them in such 
overwhelming numbers, that they felt desperate. Just as the 
British officer had ordered them to surrender, a detachment 
of American troops came suddenly upon them. The cavalry 
saw they themselves must be taken ; and they turned and fled. 
Major Brooks narrated to General Washington every par- 
ticular of this victorious strategem ; and Washington said, 
" There is nothing in our military history yet that surpasses 
the ingenuity and fortitude of that manoeuvre." Captain 
Pritchard was very young, and a great favorite in the army ; 
and, when it became his turn to watch through the night, 
it was a common saying among the officers, " We can sleep 
soundly to-night ; Pritchard's out." He returned to Medi'ord 
after the war, resumed his trade of cooper, and died, June 8, 
1795, aged forty -three. 

Colonel Ebenezer Francis, son of Ebenezer Francis, 
was born in Medford, Dec. 22, 1743, on Thursday, and bap- 
tized on Christmas Day, the next Sunday. Living in Med- 
ford till his majority, he was studious to gain knowledge, and 
succeeded beyond most others. He moved to Beverly, and, 
in 1766, married Miss Judith Wood, by whom he had four 
daughters and one son. That son he named Ebenezer, who 
now resides in Boston, is nearly eighty years of age, and one 
of our most distinguished merchants. 



MILITARY HISTORY. 195 



Colonel Francis had three brothers, who became officers in 
the Revolutionary army, and did their native Medford credit 
Ebenezerwas commissioned as Captain by the Continental 
Congress, July 1, 1775 ; next year rose to the rank ot 
Colonel, and commanded a regiment on Dorchester Heights 
from August to December, 1776. Authorized by Congress, 
he raised the eleventh Massachusetts regiment and, in Janu- 
ary 1777, marched at the head of it to Ticonderoga. Mon- 
day July 7, 1777, a skirmish took place between the eleventh 
MLachusetts regiment and the British, at Hubbardton near 
Whitehall, N.Y., in which Colonel Francis fell A piivate 
journal of Captain Greenleaf, now m the library of the Massa- 
chusetts Historical Society, says : — 

"Colonel Francis first received a ball through his right arm; 
but still continued at the head of his troops till he received the fatal 
wound through his body, entering his right breast. He dropped on 
his face." 

His chaplain says : — 

«No officer so noticed for his military accomplishments and 
regular life as he. His conduct in the held is spoken of in the 
highest terms of applause." 

A British officer, who was in the battle of . Hnbbar dton, 
happened to be quartered as a prisoner in Medford He 
wrote a history of that battle ; and we make the following 
extracts, which relate to a Medford mother then living in her 
house at the West End. The officer says : — 

« A few days since, walking out with some officer^ we stopped at 
a house to purchase vegetables. While the other officers were bar- 
gaining with the woman of the house, I observed an elderly woman 
SB? by the fire, who was continually eying us, and every now 
and then shedding a tear. Just as we were quitting the house she 
go" up, and, bursting into tears, said, < Gentlemen, will you Irt a 
poor distracted woman speak a word to you before you go? We 
as you must naturally imagine, were all astonished; and upon 
inquiring what she wanted, with the most poignant grief, and sob- 
b hTas ?f her heart was on the point of breaking, asked if any of us 
knew her son, who was killed at the battle of Hubbardton, a Colonel 
Francis. Several of us informed her that we had seen him after 
he was dead. She then inquired about his pocket-book, and if any 
of his papers were safe, as some related to his estates and if any of 

L soUiiers had got his watch; if *» Y° m "tinov " S 
remembrance of her dear, dear son, she should be happy. Captain 
Ferguson, of our regiment, who was of the party, told her, as to the 



196 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Colonel's papers and pocket-book, he was fearful lest they were lost 
or destroyed ; but, pulling a watch from his fob, said, ' There, good 
woman ; if that can make you happy, take it, and God bless you.' 
We were all much surprised, and unacquainted that he had made a 
purchase of it from a drum-boy. On seeing her son's watch, it 
is impossible to describe the joy and grief that were depicted in her 
countenance. I never, in all my life, beheld such a strength of pas- 
sion. She kissed it ; looked unutterable gratitude at Captain Fer- 
gurson ; then kissed it again. Her feelings were inexpressible ; she 
knew not how to utter or show them. She would repay his kindness 
by kindness, but could only sob her thanks. Our feelings were 
lilted to an inexpressible height; we promised to send after the 
papers ; and I believe, at that moment, could have hazarded life 
itself to procure them." 

This watch, is now in the possession of Colonel Francis's 
son, in Boston. 

John Francis, a brother of the Colonel, born in Medford 
Sept. 28, 1753, was Adjutant in the regiment commanded by 
his brother, and fought bravely at Hubbardton. He was in 
several battles during the six years of his service, and, at the 
capture of Burgoyne, was wounded. He died, July 30, 1822, 
in the sixty-ninth year of his age, in Beverly, the place of 
his residence. He was esteemed for his hospitality and 
cheerfulness. 

Another gallant action by a Medford Sergeant, in the heat 
of the battle at White Plain, deserves a special record. 
Francis Tufts saw the standard-bearer fall : he flew to the 
spot, seized the standard, lifted it in the air, and rushed to 
the front rank of the line, and there marched forward, calling 
upon the men to follow. This was seen by General Wash- 
ington. As soon as victory was won, the General asked 
Colonel Brooks the name of the young man, in his regiment, 
who achieved that noble act. He was told ; and there, on 
the stump of a tree, the General immediately wrote his com- 
mission of Adjutant. 

Medford furnished its full quota of soldiers for the war of 
1812, and shed its blood in sustaining the national cause. 
The following are the names of those who volunteered enlist- 
ment : John Gates, Zachariah Shed, Edmund Gates, Amos 
Hadley, Thomas Cutter, Jacob Waite, Samuel F. Jordan, 
Jonathan Tufts, jun., Randolph Richardson, Rehoboam Ri- 
chardson, Miles Wilson, Joseph Peirce, John Lee, John 
Weatherspoon, John McClough, Stephen D. Bugsby, Robert 
Hall, Benjamin Symmes. 



MILITARY HISTORY. 197 

The first on the list still lives ; the others are dead. Ed- 
mund Gates was killed in the battle of Chippewa ; and Abiel 
It. Shed was killed in the sortie of Fort Erie, 1813. 

One of the most signal sacrifices made by Medford to 
the cause of the country, in that war, was the death of Lieu- 
tenant John Brooks, son of General Brooks, who graduated 
at Harvard College in 1805, studied medicine with his father, 
and afterwards joined the army as an officer of marines. The 
personal beauty of young Brooks was a matter of remark in 
every company where he appeared. His courage was great ; 
and, by exposing himself in the hottest struggle of the fight, 
he was instantly killed by a cannon-ball, which struck him 
near the hip, and mangled him shockingly. This occurred 
in the famed battle on Lake Erie, Sept. 13, 1813, when 
Commodore Perry gained his brilliant victory over the Eng- 
lish fleet. 

The remains of Lieutenant Brooks were buried on an 
island in Lake Erie, and there remained until November, 
1817, when they were removed to Fort Shelby, in the city 
of Detroit, Michigan. The " Detroit Gazette," of Nov. 7, 
1817, has the following notice of the removal : — 

" Funeral of Lieutenant John Brooks. — On Friday last, the 
remains of Lieutenant John Brooks, who fell in the battle on Lake 
Erie, were interred in the new burial-ground, upon the glacis of 
Fort Shelby, within the Military Reserve of this city. The cere- 
mony was attended with military honors suited to the rank of the 
deceased. 

" The body was escorted by a military corps, and preceded by 
the Rev. Messrs. Monteith and Larned. The pall was supported 
by six Lieutenants, with scarfs. Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, and the 
officers of the Fifth United States Regiment, followed as mourners, 
flanked by marshals. Then succeeded Major-General Macomb, 
Governor Cass, and the civil, judicial, and municipal officers of the 
territory and city, citizens and strangers, and the non-commissioned 
officers and soldiers of the army. The funeral service was per- 
formed by the Rev. Mr. Larned. The procession was solemn and 
sublime." 



These services show the high esteem in which the brave 
and beautiful young officer was held by his comrades and 
commanders. 

The following elegiac lines, composed for the occasion, 
were written by Captain Whiting, of the Fifth Regiment : — 



198 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Too long on lonely isles neglected, 

Marked by no stone, thy dust has slept, 
By humble turf alone protected, 

O'er which rude time each year has swept. 

Ere many summers there had revelled, 

Decking thy grave with wild-flowers fair, 
The humid earth, depressed and levelled, 

Had left no index vestige there. 

Still had the wave around that da*hes — 

Scene of thy fate — the story told, ' 

And, 'gainst the isle that held thy ashes, 
In seeming fondness ceaseless rolled. 

But now, with kindred heroes lying, 

Thou shalt repose on martial ground, — 
Thy country's banner o'er thee flying, 

Her castle and her camps around. 

And friendship there shall leave its token ; 

And beauty there in tears may melt ; 
For still the charm may rest unbroken, 
% So many tender hearts have felt. 

Then rest, lamented youth ; in honor, 

Erie shall still preserve thy name ; 
For those who fell 'neath Perry's banner, 

Must still survive in Perry's fame. 

Dec. 17, 1836, Medford was called to part with another 
officer high in command in the army of the United States. 
Among the brave, there were none braver than Colonel Alex- 
ander Scammel Brooks, eldest son of General John Brooks. 
He was born in Medford, 1777, on the day of Burgoyne's 
surrender at Saratoga. He entered Harvard College in 1798, 
and left it in 1801. He preferred a sailor's life; but, 
when the embargo of 1808 was laid, he obtained a commis- 
sion in the army, and held it till that restriction on commerce 
was removed. He then resumed marine life, and continued 
in it till the war of 1812, when he again received a commis- 
sion as Captain in the United States army, and served through 
the war. So gallant was his conduct at the battle of Platts- 
burg, that he received a brevet as Major. He was retained 
in the army on the peace establishment, and commanded 
posts on the seaboard. In May, 1817, he married Miss 
Sarah Turner. In 1820, he was ordered to the command of 
Portland Harbor, where he remained seven years ; thence to 
Bellona Arsenal, on James River, Virginia, where he re- 
mained four years ; thence to Fort Independence, in Boston 
Harbor. He next came to Medford, and resided in the 



MILITARY HISTORY. 199 

house of his late father till ordered to the command of the 
New York Harbor. In May, 1836, he was ordered, with 
his command, into the Cherokee country, to move the In- 
dians. That duty performed, he went to Fort Moultrie, 
Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Here he soon received 
orders to proceed immediately to Florida, and take command 
of the regiment of which he was Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
prosecute the war against the Indians, — a war abhorrent 
both to his principles and his feelings. He had a singular 
and unconquerable dislike of travelling by steam-power ; 
but here was a necessity ; and, almost for the first time in his 
life, he ventured on board a steamboat, the " Dolphin," bound 
for the Black Creek. The following account, published at 
the time in the " Jacksonville Courier," gives the sad sequel 
with touching particularity : — 

" The United States steamer ' Dolphin,' from Charleston for St. 
Augustine, via Savannah and St. Mary's, was lost off the bar of St. 
John's River, on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 17, 1836, at half-past 
four in the afternoon. When within two miles of St. John's Bar, 
and she had taken two pilots on board, as the boat began to move, 
her boilers exploded, and, in an instant, she was a complete wreck. 
The bows and stern were separated, and the engine, &c, sank to 
the bottom. Mr. Donnelson was blown into the bows of the boat, 
much stunned. After the steam had cleared away, as soon as he 
could stand, he noticed Colonel Brooks just beside him, who laid 
lifeless, except one slight spasm ; after which, in an instant, the face 
turned purple. Mr. Donnelson thinks he was killed by the shock. 
Soon after this, Mr. Donnelson gained the stern, which was the 
largest part. Immediately afterwards, the bows sank, but soon rose 
again to the surface ; but Colonel Brooks was seen no more. Out 
of thirty-four persons, nineteen were saved, and fifteen were lost. 
The disaster was owing to the highly culpable negligence of the two 
engineers, who were both lost." 

December 30, the body was recovered. His watch, filled 
with sand, was taken from his pocket, and sent to his family. 
A newspaper of St. Augustine gives the following particu- 
lars : — 

" The body of the late lamented Colonel Brooks was found upon 
the beach, about thirty miles from this city, and brought here for 
interment on Thursday last. On Friday, the body was escorted to 
the grave by the St. Augustine Veterans and a company of volun- 
teers, and followed by the United States officers at this post as 
principal mourners, the volunteer officers in the service of the 
United States, the United States troops, the Judge and officers of 



200 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

the Superior Court, the Mayor and Aldermen, and a large concourse 
of citizens. The burial service was read, at the grave, by the Rev. 
David Brown, of the Episcopal Church." 

Two years afterwards, his remains were brought to Med- 
ford, and deposited in the family tomb. 



CHAPTER VI. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 

The history of their church, in many of our earliest New 
England towns, was almost the history of their settlement. 
So early as 1634, our fathers procured a preacher, Mr. James 
Noyes, afterwards minister of Newbury. He was born in 
England in 1608, educated at Oxford, came to Boston in 
1634, and "was immediately called to preach at Mistic, 
which he did for nearly one year. He was much beloved 
and respected, — a very holy and heavenly-minded man. He 
was a man of singular qualifications, a reaching and ready 
apprehension, and a most profound judgment. He was 
courageous in dangers, and still apt to believe the best, and 
made fair weather in a storm." 

After he left Medford, the inhabitants received religious 
instructions from Rev. Mr. Wilson and Rev. Mr. Phillips ; 
for, in the tax for the support of these gentlemen, Medford 
paid its share assessed by the General Court. These preach- 
ers were paid by six towns, and doubtless considered Med- 
ford as belonging to their pastoral watch and Christian 
fold. 

At this time, our fathers were troubled with the sect of 
the Antinomians , whose spiritual father was John Agricola, 
of Isleben. They were against the moral law, not only as a 
covenant of life, but as a rule of moral conduct. Mrs. Anne 
Hutchinson brought the controversy from England here in 
1634. The Colonists went for the law, and were called 
Legalists. The heat on one side for the " covenant of grace," 
and on the other for the " covenant of works," caused politi- 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



201 



cal as well as ecclesiastical trouble. Vane headed the Anti- 
nomians, and Winthrop the Legalists. The synod at Newton, 
Au<*. 80, 1637, condemned the Antinomians ; and they were 

banished. , c 

The first inhabitants of Medford belonged to that class of 
hardy, intelligent, Christian adventurers called Puritans, 
who left their native England that they might here worship 
God and govern themselves according to the dictates oUneir 
own consciences, and here spread the truths of Christianity 
among the heathen. Nobler blood never flowed in human 
veins ; and we may rejoice that we are descended from war- 
rior-saints, who dared to lead where any dared to follow, 
whose souls were sanctified by Christian faith, whose union 
illustrated the natural rights of man, and whose characters 
were made invincible by a spiritual heroism. That such a 
people would faithfully provide for the worship which they 
had sacrificed their native homes to enjoy, is most natural. 
That our forefathers so felt and so acted, is undoubtedly 
true; as it is also true that their scanty means and divided 
condition postponed the settlement of a minister, — a failure 
of duty which drew upon them prosecutions and fines. We 
therefore find additional cause for lamentation over the loss 
of our early records, which would have explained the tacts 
of their condition, and also proved to us how devotedly they 
attended public worship in the neighboring towns when they 
were not able to support a minister within their own borders. 
So soon as they could pay a clergyman, — yes, long before 
they could do it without extreme anxiety, — they made provi- 
sion for their spiritual nurture and their growth in grace. 
Johnson, in his "Wonder-working Providence, says : — 

« It is as unnatural for a right New England man to live without 
an able ministry, as for a smith to work his iron without lire. 

Their wakefulness and zeal are proved, in the surviving 
records, by their unanimity in causing each person to contri- 
bute his share ; and their intelligence and justice appear in 
harmonizing differences which unhappily arose between them 
and one of their temporary teachers. 

June 2, 1641 : The General Court say : — 

« It is desired that the elders would make^a catechism for the 
instruction of youth in the grounds of religion." 

This catechism found its way into every family of our 

26 



202 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

plantation. Thus the ideas of a true theocracy and a true 
democracy were here early imparted. 

The " plantation " agreed to hire a preacher, who should 
supply them for six months or a year, and to pay him by 
individual subscriptions, while they allowed him to reside 
wherever his other engagements required. Tutors from 
Harvard College were hired for this purpose. 

Oct. 21, 1658, our fathers kept a fast, " on account of 
God's judgments ; to wit, sickness in several families, unfa- 
vorable weather, and the appearance of that scourge, the 
Quakers." 

1660 : At this time, the controversy about infant baptism 
afflicted our early Christians here ; and Mr. Thomas Gould's 
case, in Charlestown, caused great stir at Medford. 

Mr. John Hancock, grandfather of the patriot of 1775, 
who preached here in 1692, consented to remain in the plan- 
tation ; and the town accordingly voted that " he shall be 
boarded at Mr. John Bradshaw's for the year ensuing, if he 
shall continue his ministry so long among us." The usual 
price of board was five shillings per week. In November, 
1693, Mr. Hancock's ministrations ceased, and the town voted 
to apply to the government of Harvard College to supply them 
with a minister for the winter. The town enjoyed, for a 
considerable time, the ministerial services of Mr. Benjamin 
Colman (H. C. 1692). 

May 13, 1695, the town gave Mr. Simon Bradstreet (H. C. 
1693) an invitation to become their permanent pastor ; and 
the record is as follows : — 

"Voted that Mr. Simon Bradstreet, for his encouragement to 
settle amongst us in the work of the gospel ministry, shall have £40 
in money, for annuity, with his housing and firewood." 

This call was not accepted. There were, at this time, 
only thirty-three male inhabitants who paid taxes on estates. 
Fifteen shillings was the common price paid, per sabbath, to 
" occasional preachers." 

March 5, 1694 : Voted that the former subscription for the 
support of the minister should be continued, and that the 
board of the minister should be five shillings per week ; and, 
if any one refused to pay his share of this, then the Selectmen 
should " rate him according to his effects." The town's rate 
was " one penny in the pound, and twelve pence per 
head." 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 203 

Supporting the ministry by an equal tax on all property 
was the settled policy of our fathers, though there had been 
objectors to the plan. So early as 1643, " one Briscoe, of 
"Watertown," says Winthrop, " wrote a book against it, 
wherein, besides his arguments, which were naught, he cast 
reproach on the elders and officers. He was fined ten pounds, 
and one of the publishers forty shillings." 

Not successful in settling a minister, the town hired Mr. 
Benjamin Woodbridge, of Charlestown, to preach for six 
months ; and, as his engagements in Charlestown did not 
allow him to reside in Medford, the town passed the follow- 
ing vote, Dec. 5, 1698 : — 

" Voted that Cotton Tufts be chosen and appointed to agree with 
Mr. Joseph Squire for his horse for Mr. Woodbridge, riding from 
Chaideston to Medford every Saturday, and from Medford to 
Charlestown every Monday ; allowing said Squire two shillings per 
journey for said horse, going and coming, well-shod for said jour- 
ney. Mr. Woodbridge also to ride said Squire's horse to meeting 
on the sabbath-days when there shall be occasion." 

As the history of this gentleman's ministerial connection 
with the town of Medford will let us into some clear know- 
ledge, not only of the taste and temper of our ancestors, but 
of their faith and wisdom, we shall here give a few de- 
tails. 

Mr. Woodbridge was the son of Rev. John Woodbridge, 
of Andover. He was ordained, March 18, 1670, over the 
" Presbyterian party " in Windsor, Conn. He left Wind- 
sor, and preached at Bristol, B..I. He left Bristol, and 
preached at Kittery, Maine. In 1691, he resided in Ports- 
mouth, N.H.X In 1698, he began to officiate in Medford. 

The subject of the church and the ministry being the para- 
mount topic in our early times, we may not wonder if we 
find in it traditional enthusiasm and Protestant Popery. Our 
fathers found some ministers to be mere church-clocks, for 
ticking the seconds and striking the hours ; but whether 
they found Mr. Woodbridge such a one, or a whip of fire, 
the following history will disclose. 

He seemed to preach so acceptably, that movements were 
made to give him a call; and, March 28, 1698, the town 
voted that " Mr. Woodbridge, when legally settled amongst 
us in the work of the ministry, shall have forty pounds in 
money, fifteen cords of wood, and strangers' money, for 

K 



204 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

annuity." " Strangers' money " meant the moneys paid by 
persons not legally ratable. The vote of March- 28 was not 
meant to be a legal call, but only a preliminary feeler for both 
parties. Matters were not hastened ; for not until Sept. 15, 
1701, do we find two persons appointed by the town "to 
discourse with Mr. Woodbridge, and know his mind con- 
cerning settling in the town in the work of the ministry." 
Dec. 15, 1701, the town voted to give thirty pounds to Mr. 
Woodbridge, as encouragement to settle inMedford, but upon 
the condition that " he remain during his natural life ; but, 
if he saw cause to remove, then to return the said thirty 
pounds to the town again." 

Nov. 26, 1700, the town voted to build a parsonage ; but, 
as some objections existed, it was deferred. The subject, 
however, was revived the next year, and a vote obtained for 
the erection ; but, on the passage of this resolution, the 
records say, that " Mr. Ebenezer Brooks and Samuel Brooks 
did then enter their dissent against raising money for build- 
ing a house for the minister." After three attempts to get 
a satisfactory vote to build a house thirty-eight feet long 
and twenty-nine feet wide, the matter was indefinitely post- 
poned. Mr. Woodbridge wished to settle as the minister, 
and therefore urged the building of a parsonage. His new 
entreaties resulted in a new plan ; which was to give Mr. 
Woodbridge thirty pounds, and let him build his house as 
he pleased. Accordingly, a " rate " was levied, and forty- 
two names appear on the records, March 23, 1701. Here 
commenced a series of dissensions. The thirty pounds were 
paid to Mr. Woodbridge, and he began to build ; but, for 
what cause we cannot discover, the reverend gentleman had 
serious difficulties with his carpenters and some of his parish- 
ioners. These stimulated him and moved him to complaints, 
the natural results of which were mutual defences and angry 
recriminations. Mr. Woodbridge was called upon to give a 
receipt for the thirty pounds which had been paid him. He 
not only refused to give a receipt, but denied having received 
the money ; declined giving any account of it ; and, moreover, 
objected to referring the matter to the elders at Boston. His 
refusal of this reference betrays his Presbyterianism. A con- 
siderable time was wasted in this dubious and belligerent 
condition, when the town referred their case to impartial 
clergymen and elders of Boston ; and, May 2, 1704, they 
received the following letter : — 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 205 

"May 2, 1704. 

« The differences between Mr. Woodbridge and several of the 
good people of Medford have been laid before our consideration, 
and they appear unto us to be of a very uncomfortable aspect. 

« Our advice having been asked, whether it be proper to proceed 
unto an immediate settlement of a church state, whilst the present 
uneasiness and alienation of minds remain uncured, we cannot but 
declare that it seems to us not desirable. We could rejoice if we 
had a more hopeful prospect of a right understanding and good 
establishment in Medford. 

" If it appears hopeless to the discerning Christians in the place 
(whereof we at this distance make not ourselves the judges), it 
seems better for them to study the best methods of parting as 
lovingly and speedily as they can, than, by continuing longer 
together, and carrying on a controversy, to produce exasperations 
that may defeat all other attempts to come at a desirable settle- 
ment. (Signed) 

"Increase Mather. 
" Samuel Willard." 

The advice of these gentlemen, so full of wisdom and love, 
did not suit Mr. Woodbridge. Difficulties thickened, and 
the church seemed to have fallen into a " place where two seas 

met." 

June 19, 1704, the town voted that what they had done 
about Mr. Woodbridge's settlement be null and void. This 
does not seem to have altered materially the relations of the 
parties ; for, Dec. 19, 1704, the town directed the Selectmen 
to make " a rate of forty pounds, and thirteen cords of wood, 
for Mr. Woodbridge's salary." What constituted a legal call 
of a minister, seems not to have been definitely understood. 
Some strenuously maintained that " it was not in the power 
of a town to dismiss their minister." 

March 5, 1705, the town " voted that they would not pro- 
ceed to settle Mr. Woodbridge as their minister." After this, 
the reverend gentleman resorted to a new mode of operation, 
aided, no doubt, by his few earnest friends. The explanation 
of all may be found in the following vote of the town at the 
time : — 

Voted, "Whereas Mr. Woodbridge hath lately attempted the 
gathering a church in Medford, contrary to the respected advice of 
the elders in the neighborhood, though the whole procedure hath 
been highly irregular, and done without advice or respect of the 
inhabitants of the town, and without the countenance and concur- 
rence of the neighbor churches ; and, if he continues among us after 



206 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

this manner, there will be a foundation laid for endless confusion 
and contention in this languishing town : for these and other such 
considerations, the town do declare themselves highly dissatisfied at 
Mi*. Woodbridge's late irregular attempts and actions about gather- 
ing a church, and do protest against his going on in the offensive 
way he is in, and do forbid his preaching any more in their public 
meeting-house." 

Mr. Woodbridge now appealed to the " General Sessions 
of Peace " at Charlestown. Their reply was, that " Mr. 
Woodbridge is not a settled minister in Medford." Four- 
teen citizens immediately entered their protest against this 
decision. He next appealed to Governor Dudley and his 
Council ; and the result there was expressed in these words : 
" That Mr. Woodbridge should not preach till he had made 
acknowledgments to the aggrieved parties." 

July, 1705: A council of six churches was called, "to 
convince of, and testify against, those evils which have 
obstructed the quiet and regular settlement and enjoyment 
of. all gospel ordinances in Medford." Rev. Joseph Easter- 
brook, of Concord, was Moderator. The Council censured 
both Mr. Woodbridge and the town of Medford. One of 
the censures of Mr. Woodbridge was, that " the steps which 
he took towards gathering a church, as to the time and under 
the circumstances, were very unadvised, and obstructive to 
the regular settlement and enjoyment of all gospel ordinances 
in that town." 

We can imagine how much fireside conversation and deep 
feeling there must have been in the scattered farm-houses of 
Medford, while these unhappy differences had risen so high 
as to require the attention of the clergy, and even the inter- 
position of the highest executive authority. Sadness and 
gloom settled upon the minds of our fathers. At such a 
time, they obeyed the dictates of a Christian prudence and 
a pious heart. They believed in prayer ; and therefore, on 
the 6th December, 1706, the Selectmen appointed a town 
fast, that all the inhabitants, with one heart and one mind, 
should unite in asking Gcjd to heal these divisions, and restore 
to them a true gospel peace. 

Cool and right -hearted, as full of valor as of wisdom, the 
town was still tolerant, and referred their case to the " Court 
of Sessions at Cambridge," who appointed four persons to 
hear all the complaints on both sides, and then to recommend 
some mode of reconciliation, or to advise a peaceable separa- 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 207 

tion. After patient reviewal of the whole, they report, 
Nov. 28, 1707, that " the wound is incurable ; " and there- 
fore advise a quiet withdrawal of Mr. Woodbridge, " the 
town paying him forty pounds, in bills of credit, in full of 
all demands ; also give him the strangers' money which has 
been collected during the last nine sabbaths ; and, further- 
more, to offer to purchase his real estate for two hundred 
and seventy pounds." This decision, deemed by many as 
equitable and conciliatory, was somewhat modified by the 
highest tribunal, " the Great and General Court, held at Bos- 
ton." May 26, 1708, this court voted " that Mr. Woodbridge 
is hereby declared to be no longer minister of Medford." 
Also voted, at the same time, " that this Court are directed 
speedily to procure and settle another minister ; and that this 
Court do advise Mr. Woodbridge by no means to discourage 
the coming and settlement of another minister among them." 
The first of these votes pleased a majority of the town ; the 
last displeased the whole ; and forthwith our Medford fathers, 
in the true spirit of congregational liberty, came together and 
resolved thus : " To petition the Court of Sessions that we may 
not have a minister imposed upon us ; but may have the liberty 
and privilege to choose our minister as other towns have, as the 
law directs." 

It is not worth while to enter into details of small things. 
One specimen, occurring at this time, derives its importance 
from the fact that our fathers enlisted such men as Chief 
Justice Sewall in their troubles. The fact is as follows : — 

" To Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge, 

per Lieut. Stephen Willis. " June 5, 170S. 

" Sir, — In your account of disbursements, given to the town 
of Medford, at their meeting, Dec. 19, 1705, your first article is, 'The 
expenses upon land, house, fencing, &c, as appears from my book, 
£249. 8s. Id.' Now, the Committee desire to see the particulars 
by which that sum rises ; and, to that end, that you would meet 
them, or some of them, upon 'Change, presently after the Artillery 
Sei'mon, next Monday, where we may agree of a place of recess 
for this purpose. 

" Sir, your servant, 

" Samuel Sewall." 

So tenacious was the grasp of Mr. Woodbridge on the pul- 
pit of Medford, and so devoted were some hearts to his cause, 
that, after all which had happened, we find the town, Dec. 6, 
1708, voting thus : " That Mr. Woodbridge be invited to 



208 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

I 

preach three months on a free contribution." This must 
have been nearly a tie vote, since thirteen members imme- 
diately enter their protest against it. This probably ended 
Mr. Woodbridge's connection with the church as its preacher ; 
for, in the next year, Mr. John Tufts is a favorite, and com- 
mended for settlement. 

During the long and increasing dissension, which was now 
closed, it is apparent that the town took counsel of wisdom 
and charity. They wished to give Mr. Woodbridge every 
opportunity of righting himself before the community, the 
churches, and the government ; they apprehended the 
worldly and spiritual equity of the case ; and it is refreshing 
to read their vote upon it, in the following beautiful 
words : — 

" The difference bath been as tenderly, carefully, and well 
managed as we could." 

It is observable also with what serpent-like wisdom and 
dove-like harmlessness their advisers managed the case. 
They did not consider the contending parties as acids and 
alkalies, but as friends who desired reconciliation. After 
such a religious dissension, a parish would not be likely to 
unite very soon in the choice of another minister, unless 
there was that enlarged spirit of Christian compromise which 
requires more profound thought and a more expansive tole- 
rance than the education of our ancestors had led them to 
attain or to cherish. 

Mr. Woodbridge died in Medford, Jan. 15, 1710, after a 
residence of nearly ten years, aged sixty -five ; and, on the 
same day, with commendable promptitude and just liberality, 
the town voted ten pounds to defray the expenses of his 
funeral, — an act which proves that they would not let the 
sun go down upon their animosity. 

"Thursday, 19th, Mr. "Woodbridge was buried. Mr. Parsons, of 
Maiden, preached the funeral sermon. Bearers : President (of 
College) ; Mr. Hobart, of Newton ; Mr. Brattle ; Mr. Bradstreet ; 
Mr. Parsons ; Mr. Ruggles, of Billericay. By reason that it was 
lecture-day, and Mr. Colman preached, and the wind very high and 
blustering, not one Boston minister was there." 

Mr. Woodbridge seems not to have lost his ministerial 
standing during his troubles in Medford ; and we must leave 
to future disclosures some points which now appear equivocal. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 209 

It was now the object of the leading minds in the town to 
compose all differences as soon as possible ; but they found 
that the waves lash the shore after the wind that has raised 
them has ceased to blow. Resolved to enjoy the regular 
ministrations of the word and ordinances, the town passed 
the following vote, Feb. 17, 1709 : — 

" "Whether the town will encourage the preaching of the word 
amongst us by a free contribution. Voted in the negative." 

This vote showed two points : first, that they would not 
make the support of public worship to depend on the caprice 
or selfishness of the people ; and, second, that they resolved 
every one should pay according to his means. 

April 11, 1711: "John Whitmore, sen., Samuel Brooks, 
and Stephen Hall, were chosen to see for a supply of preach- 
ing in Medford for the time aforesaid." 

Mr. John Tufts, son of Mr. Peter Tufts, of Medford, 
proved so acceptable, that the town gave him an invitation, 
Nov. 12, 1711, to settle on a salary of fifty pounds and 
strangers' money. 

Mr. Tufts's reply, under date of "Medford, Dec. 10, 
1711," so reveals certain facts that we transcribe it here : — 

" To the Selectmen of Medford. 

" Sirs, — I have considered of the invitation which you, by your 
town's order, acquainted me they had given me, and also of the 
offer they had made for my encouragement to settle with them in 
the work of the ministry, for which I give them thanks ; and you 
may inform the town, I am not indisposed to serve the interests of 
Christ in this place, and should cheerfully undertake the dispensa- 
tion and administration of the word and ordinances of God amongst 
them, but that the circumstances of the town at present are such 
that I cannot readily and so freely comply with their desire as is to 
be wished for ; but, however, if suitable means were speedily used, 
and proper attempts made, to satisfy those persons that are averse 
to my, or any other person's, settling in the work of the ministry in 
this place, and also if the town will allow me such a salary as I shall 
think sufficient for my maintenance, I know nothing to the contrary, 
but I may undertake the work of the ministry amongst them. My 
desire and prayer to the infinitely wise God for this people is, that he 
would incline and direct them to do that which will be most for 
God's glory and«their own peace and happiness, both in this and in 
the world to come. John Tufts." 

Mr. Tufts afterwards concluded not to settle ; and the town 
resolved to hear candidates with reference to ordination. 

27 



210 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The town also concluded to have a contribution each Sun- 
day, and thus pay the minister at the end of the day ; and 
voted that each person should previously write down, on a 
rate-bill, what he will contribute each Sunday. The persons 
who gathered these contributions were appointed from among 
the most trustworthy of the congregation. The great watch- 
fulness of our fathers in these money-matters is seen in a 
vote passed at this period (1709). It is as follows : — 

" Voted to call Mr. John Whitmore to an account by what order 
he held out the contribution-box, and how he disposed of the money 
that was put therein." 

March 6, 1710: Voted to apply to Mr. John Whiting, 
Fellow of Harvard College, to preach for three months. 
This gentleman refused ; and Mr. John Tufts was engaged for 
six months. At the end of this time, July 17, 1710, he 
engaged to supply the pulpit six months longer. The town 
now proposed a " free contribution," in connection with a 
" subscription," for the support of public worship. 

There is a bewildering queerness in the following vote, 
passed by the town April 19, 1710 : — 

" Put to vote, whether the town will allow Francis Whitmore six 
shillings for dining the minister four days. Voted in the nega- 
tive." 

Our fathers had a new source of alarm in the attempt to 
introduce English Episcopacy. They had not forgotten the 
persecutions of Archbishop Laud ; and they feared every 
thing from a church that was " a tool of the king." Excited, 
suspicious, unforgiving, and intolerant in this matter, they 
called the Episcopalian clergymen " Baal's priests ; " the 
unvarying service, " travelling round life-long in the same 
deep ruts ; " and the set prayers, " leeks, garlick, and 
trash." 

In the Medford church, though there were differing opi- 
nions concerning particular preachers and concerning worldly 
prudentials, there was a true and steady purpose in all hearts 
to have a settled pastor and teacher ; and they all united 
piously to hold a town-fast on the last Wednesday of April, 
1712. The record speaks of the day as one "to be solem- 
nized as a day of fasting and prayer, to humble ourselves 
before God for those divisions and contentions that hath been 
so long prevailing among us, and obstructed the peaceable 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 211 

enjoyment of gospel ordinances." They agreed to meet 
immediately after the religious exercises of the fast, and to 
ask each man to bring, on a piece of paper, the name of the 
gentleman he should prefer as his minister, and, out of 
the three who had the highest number, to select one as the 
pastor. It proved that Mr. Amos Cheever, Mr. John Tufts, 
and Mr. Aaron Porter, were the candidates. 

The lot finally fell on the last-named gentleman. How 
long he preached as a candidate, we do not know. The time 
must have been short ; for, on the 19th of May, 1712, the 
town voted, with most hopeful unanimity, to invite Mr. 
Aaron Porter to become their minister. His salary was to 
be fifty -five pounds, and to be increased two pounds annually 
until it reached seventy pounds. To this was added the 
strangers' money ; twenty cords of wood, or seven pounds. 
It was further provided, that if a part of Charlestown that 
lies next to Medford be annexed, then Mr. Porter's salary be 
raised ten pounds. It was further provided, that " the rates 
for Mr. Aaron Porter's salary be levied on polls and ratable 
estate, according to the rate of raising and levying the 
county tax." 

Mr. Porter accepted this invitation, but demanded " one 
hundred pounds as a settlement." The gift of such a sum 
to a new pastor was customary, and the Medford church 
acceded. Not being rich, the town voted to ask the aid 
of sister churches in paying this sum, which we trust was 
cheerfully granted. At the same meeting, they passed the 
following vote : — 

" That the Representative draw and prefer a petition to the 
General Court for some help as to maintenance and support of the 
ministry amongst us." 

" Voted to clear with Mr. Porter once in six months ; " 
that is, to pay up in full. 

The questions concerning Congregationalism had elicited 
long discussion, and kindled some fire. Whether it meant 
a right in every church to elect and ordain its own officers, 
manage its own affairs, and maintain a pure worship ; or 
whether it meant that the State was the proper head of the 
church, and therefore should regulate faith and punish 
heresy, — our fathers took the first view, and declared for a 
free " independency," and acted accordingly. 

The ordination was voted to take place on the 11th of 



212 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

February, 1713 ; and the town provided a " place for enter- 
taining the reverend elders, messengers, ministers, and scho- 
lars who should be present on the occasion." The whole cost 
of the ordination was about sixteen pounds. 

The law authorizing taxes on ratable inhabitants for the 
support of public worship bears date 1677. The early Inde- 
pendent or Congregational churches distinguished between 
pastor and teacher. The Cambridge platform of 1648 con- 
fines the pastor to exhortation, and the teacher to doctrine. 
Mr. Wilson, who owned land in Mistick, was pastor of the 
first church in Boston, while Mr. Cotton was its teacher. 
" Ruling elder " was an officer different from a pastor or 
teacher or deacon. His duty was " to attend to the admis- 
sion of members, to ordain officers chosen by the church, to 
excommunicate obstinate offenders renounced by the church, 
and to restore penitents forgiven by the church," &c. The 
deacon's duty was " limited to the care of the temporal things 
of the church, the contribution of the saints," &c. In Med- 
ford, the useless distinction between pastor and teacher was 
laid aside, as was also the office of ruling elder. The earliest 
churches ordained the deacons ; and church-membership was 
an indispensable qualification for the freedom of the colony 
and the right of franchise. In the choice of a minister, the 
church nominated ; and then the society, without respect to 
church-membership, elected him on the republican principle 
of a majority-vote. 



REV. AARON PORTER. 

This gentleman was born, July 19, 1689, in Hadley, 
Massachusetts. His great-grandfather was John Porter, of 
Windsor, Connecticut. His grandfather, son of John, was 
Samuel Porter, who was one of the first settlers of Hadley, 
in 1659, and died in 1689, leaving seven children. His 
father was Samuel Porter, Esq., eldest son of the above- 
named Samuel. He was born in 1660 ; married Joanna, 
daughter of Aaron Cook, Esq., of Hadley ; was a gentleman 
of wealth and influence, extensively engaged in trade, and at 
one time High-Sheriff of the County. He died in the sum- 
mer of 1722, aged sixty-two, leaving three sons and four 
daughters, all of whom are mentioned in his will. At the 
time he executed his will, Jan. 80, 1722, he knew not of the 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 213 

death of his son, Rev. Aaron Porter, though he had then 
been dead a week ; a striking proof of the difficulty of com- 
municating intelligence. 

The minister of Medford was the second son and the third 
child of the above Samuel, and was named Aaron, in honor 
of his grandfather Cook. He was graduated at Harvard 
College, 1708 ; previously to which he had joined himself to 
a society formed at college, May, 1706, that met weekly "for 
prayer and spiritual discourse." 

Of his ordination at Medford, Chief Justice Samuel Sewall 
gives the following account in his diary. After mentioning a 
vehement, drifting storm of snow the day preceding, he 
writes : — 

"Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1713: Mr. Aaron Porter is ordained 
pastor of the church at Meadford. Mr. Angier, of Watertown, gave 
the charge ; Mr. Hancock, of Lexington, the right hand of fellow- 
ship. The storm foregoing hindered my son Joseph (settled the 
same year over the Old South Church in Boston) from being there. 
Were many more people there than the meeting-house could 
hold." 

In the autumn of the same year, Mr. Porter married Su- 
sanna, daughter of Major Stephen Sewall, Esq., of Salem, 
and a sister of Stephen Sewall (H. C, 1721), afterwards 
Chief Justice. Judge Samuel, her uncle, gives the following 
account of the wedding : — 

"1713, Oct. 22: I go to Salem; visit Mrs. Epes, Colonel Ha- 
thorne. See Mr. Noyes marry Mr. Aaron Porter and Miss Susan 
Sewall at my brother's. Was a pretty deal of company present. 
Mr. Hirst and wife, Mr. Blowers (minister of Beverly), Mr. Pres- 
cot (minister of Danvers), Mr. Tuft, sen. (father of Rev. John 
Tufts, of Newbury), Madame Leverett (lady of Pres. Leverett), 
Foxcroft, Goff, Kitchen, Mr. Samuel Porter, father of the bride- 
groom, I should have said before. Many young gentlemen and 
gentlewomen. Mr. Noyes made a speech : said, Love was the sugar 
to sweeten every condition in the married relation. Prayed once. 
Did all very well. After the Sack-Posset (a common article of 
entertainment at weddings), sung the 45th Psalm from the 8th verse 
to the end, — five staves. I set it to Windsor tune. I had a very 
good turkey-leather Psalm-book, which I looked in, while Mr. Noyes 
read ; and then I gave it to the bridegroom, saying, ' I give you this 
Psalm-book in order to your perpetuating this song ; and I would 
have you pray that it may be an introduction to our singing with 
the choir above.' I lodged at Mr. Hirst's." 



214 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

We may say a word, in passing, of these customs of our 
ancestors. The Psalm-book used on this occasion was the 
" New England Version, or Bay Psalm-book." The psalm 
was "deaconed." The portion sung was ten verses, C M. 
The first two lines were : — 

" Myrrh, aloes, and cassia's smell 
All of thy garments had." 

The last verse, to which the Judge seems to allude in what 
he said to the bridegroom, as he presented the " turkey- 
leather Psalm-book," read thus : — 

"Thy name remembered I will make 
In generations all ; 
Therefore, for ever and for aye 
Thy people praise thee shall." 

The tune selected seems to us a singular one for the occa- 
sion. " Windsor " is a proper tune for a funeral ; but, for a 
wedding, how dull! So thought not our ancestors. While 
they gloried in singing sprightly " York " or " St. David's " 
on Sunday, solemn "Windsor" or "Low Dutch" (Canter- 
bury) was their frequent choice at weddings and other festal 
occasions. 

Mr. and Mrs. Porter came to Medford immediately after 
their marriage, and lived happily together. They were highly 
esteemed by their uncle, Judge Sewall, who frequently called 
on them when going to Salem and Newbury. His diary 
says : — 

" July 28, 1714 : According to my promise, I carried my daughter 
Hannah to Meadford, to visit Cousin Porter. In her mother's name, 
she presented her cousin with a red coat for her little Aaron, blue 
facing, for the sleeves galoon. Cost about 12s. 2c?. I carried her 
three oranges. Gave the nurse 2s., maid Is. Hannah gave the 
nurse Is. Got thither about one. Over the ferry before dark. 5s. 
for the calash. Mr. Porter went to Salem on Monday, and was not 
come home, though the sun scarce half an hour high, when came 
away. Laus Deo." 

Rev. Aaron Porter was ordained as the first minister of 
Medford, February 11, 1713. His own record is as fol- 
lows : — 

" May 19, 1712 : The town of Medford called me, Aaron Porter, 
to serve them in the work of the ministry ; which call (after serious 
and frequent application to the God of all grace) I accepted as a 
call from God. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 215 

" Feb. 11, 1713 : This day was set apart as a day of fasting and 
prayer, in order to separate or ordain me to the sacred office of a 
minister of the gospel. The reverend elders sent to assist in this 
solemn action were these following : scil., the Rev. Mr. Samuel 
Angier, of Watertown ; Mr. William Brattle, of Cambridge ; Mr. 
John Hancock, of Lexington ; Mr. Simon Bradstreet, of Charles- 
town ; Mr. John Fox, of Woburn ; and Mr. David Parsons, of 
Maiden ; all of whom (except the Rev. Mr. Wm. Brattle and Mr. 
John Fox, who at this time labored under bodily indispositions) 
were present, with other delegates of the churches. 

"The reverend elders and messengers being assemhled at the 
house of Br. John Bradshaw, the first thing they did was the 
gathering a church ; which was done by a number of the brethren's 
signing to a covenant prepared for that purpose." 

By a law of the General Court, passed March 3, 1686, 
each church must be recognized and approved by the magis- 
trates soon after its organization ; otherwise its members can- 
not be admitted as freemen of the Commonwealth. The 
Medford church was so approved. Maiden was fined, in 
1651, for settling a minister "without the consent of the 
neighboring churches or the allowance of the magistrates." 

" Covenant. — We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, appre- 
hending ourselves called of God to join together in church com- 
munion (acknowledging ourselves unworthy of such a privilege, and 
our inability to keep covenant with God, or to perform any spiritual 
duty, unless Christ shall enable thereunto), in humble dependence 
on free grace for divine assistance and acceptance, we do, in the 
name of Christ Jesus our Lord, freely covenant, and bind ourselves 
solemnly, in the presence of God himself, his holy angels, and all 
his servants here present, to serve the God whose name alone is 
Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the only true and living 
God ; cleaving to him, our chief good, and unto our Lord Jesus 
Christ, as our only Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King of our souls 
in a way of gospel obedience ; avouching the Lord to be our 
God, and the God of our children, whom we give unto him, count- 
ing it as our highest honor that the Lord will accept of us, and our 
children with us, to be his people. We do also give ourselves one 
unto another in the Lord, covenanting to walk together as a church 
of Christ in all the ways of his worship, according to the holy rules 
of his word ; promising in brotherly love faithfully to watch over 
one another's souls, and to submit ourselves to the discipline and 
power of Christ in the church, and duly to attend the seals and 
censures, or whatever ordinances Christ has commanded to be 
observed by his people, so far as the Lord by his word and spirit 
has or shall reveal unto us to be our duty ; beseeching the Lord to 
own us for his people, and delight to dwell in the midst of us. And, 



216 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

that we may keep our covenant with God, we desire to deny our- 
selves, and to depend wholly on the free mercy "of God, and upon 
the merits of Jesus Christ ; and wherein we fail to wait upon him 
for pardon through his name, beseeching the Lord to own us as a 
church of Christ, and delight to abide in the midst of us. 



"Signed Feb. 11, 1713. 



" John Whitmore. 
Thomas Hall. 
Nathaniel Pierce. 
Ebenezer Brooks. 
John Francis. 
Samuel Brooks. 
Thomas Willis. 
Stephen Willis. 



John Whitmore. 
John Bradshaw. 
Stephen Hall. 
Persival Hall. 
Jonathan Hall. 
Francis Whitmore. 
Thomas Willis, jun. 



" This being done, we went to the place of public worship, where 
the Rev. Mr. Simon Bradstreet began with prayer. Prayer being 
ended, I preached from those words in First Epistle to the Corin- 
thians iv. 2 : ' Moreover, it is required of stewards that a man be 
found faithful.' This being done, the Rev. Mr. Angier proceeded to 
ordination; Mr. Hancock, Mr. Bradstreet, and Mr. Parsons joining 
in the imposition of hands. After this, the Rev. Mr. Hancock gave 
me the right hand of fellowship. We then sung part of the 132d 
Psalm ; and so concluded with giving the blessing. 

" Thus, through the goodness of our ascended Lord and great 
Shepherd of his sheep, we see another candlestick of the Lord, and 
a light set up in it. The Lord, who walks in the midst of his golden 
candlesticks and holds the stars in his right hand, dwell with us, and 
keep us pure, without spot or blemish, and enable his unworthy 
servant (who is, of himself, nothing but simpleness and darkness, 
and cannot shine but with a borrowed light), by faith and prayer, to 
derive from him, who is the head of influences to his church, such 
measures of light and grace, that he may be instrumental of turn- 
ing many from darkness to light, and at last shine in the kingdom 
of heaven as the stars for ever and ever. 

" March 1 1 : The church being called together, they made choice 
of Brothers Thomas Willis, sen., and John Whitmore, sen., as dea- 
cons in the church ; and they accordingly accepted. At the same 
time, it was determined that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
should be celebrated on the 22d of March following, and continued 
once in six weeks till otherwise determined. It was likewise agreed 
upon, at this time, that the ordinance of baptism should be adminis- 
tered, not only to the infants of such as are in full communion, but 
to the infants of such as are baptized, being neither ignorant nor 
scandalous, upon their owning the covenant publicly ; supposing at 
the same time that the persons admitted to this privilege with their 
children are under the care and watch of this church, and subject 
to the discipline of it ; and that the church may and ought at any 
time to call them to an account in case of scandal." 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



217 




^toiSM 



Whitmore House, Medford, 1680 to 1840. 



July 20, 1714, Mr. Porter makes the following record : — 

" The church being together, some of them manifested an uneasi- 
ness, that in time past I had not, at the admission of members, read 
publicly something of what I had received from them in private ; 
and desired that, for time to come, I should make it my practice so 
to do. In compliance with which desire, I promised to ask it of all 
such as should offer themselves to us ; but could not see any rule to 
impose it as a necessary term of communion, so as to keep out such 
as are qualified according to the gospel, merely because they can- 
not comply with this practice. It being no institution of our Sa- 
viour, all that his churches can do is only to desire it as an expedient, 
but have no power to command it, or, for want of it, to deny the 
communion to any that are qualified and regularly seek for it. 

" At the same time, I proposed to the church that an handy-vote 
should not be demanded or expected at the admission of members ; 
but that (liberty of objecting being first given) their silence should 
be taken for consent ; with which the church concurred." 

Here is a slight indication of that Christian jealousy exist- 
ing in the New England churches in reference to purity of 
doctrine and discipline. This watchfulness and almost sus- 
picion of new comers and of each other was an American, and 
not a European, trait ; and it arose from the fact that our 
fathers came here to establish a pure church, and therefore 
judged this spiritual espionage to be their solemn duty and 
sure defence. 

28 



218 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Jan. 4, 1714: It was voted "that such persons as shall 
read the psalm hi the meeting-house shall sit in the deacon's 
seat." 

"June 17, 1715: Voted that such persons as shall contribute 
on the sabbath-days any silver money or black-dogs towards Mr. 
Porter's salary, shall be allowed, out of the minister's rate, what he 
thus contributes." 

A deposition was made before the authorities at Boston, 
July 29, 1701, that " dog or lion dollars had been counter- 
feited." 

March 9, 1720 : Deacon Thomas Willis, on account of old 
age, resigns his office in the church ; and in the next month, 
April 6, Mr. Percival Hall is chosen in his place. Before 
this choice was made, the church voted that not a plurality of 
votes among the candidates, but a majority of all the votes 
cast, should be required to constitute a choice. 

At this time it was voted by the church, that — 

" Such members of other churches as come to reside among us, 
with a desire to continue with us, should be required to obtain a 
recommendation from the churches they came from, and so put 
themselves under the watch of the church in this place ; and if they 
refuse to do so within one year after their coming among us, without 
giving the church a satisfactory reason for their neglect, they shall 
be denied the privileges of members here." 

May 17, 1721 : The town passed the following vote : — 

" To invite Mr. John Tufts, of Charlestown, to sit at the table in 
our meeting-house ; and also his wife to sit in Captain Tufts's pew, 
by his consent." 

Aug. 2, 1721 : " At a church-meeting, Thomas Willis, jun., 
was chosen a deacon for this church." 

There are no records of marriages or funerals during the 
ministry of Mr. Porter. He baptized one hundred and twelve 
persons, and admitted twenty -six to the church. 

The above extracts contain all the facts of general ecclesi- 
astical importance recorded during the pastorate of the Pev. 
Mr. Porter. They prove to us several interesting particulars. 
They leave us to infer that our Medford ancestors selected 
the right man for their first teacher and pastor, — a peace- 
maker, who poured the oil of Christian love upon the troubled 
waves of the Woodbridge storm. His learning, discrimina- 
tion, and wisdom are seen in his decision of the case brought 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 219 

before him by members of his church, who probably wished 
him to require from candidates a narrative of their Christian 
experiences as a condition of their admission. He objected 
to it, and would " not impose it as a necessary term of commu- 
nion." Such narratives, he maintained, were " no institution 
of our Saviour," and therefore could not be imposed as condi- 
tions of acceptance ; and he converted his church to this 
truth. His ministry was short, but fruitful. He found the 
church disturbed, and left it quiet. " Blessed are the peace- 
makers ; for they shall be called the children of God." 

These records prove, moreover, that our fathers adopted 
the great republican principle of the right of a majority in 
the forms of congregational government and discipline. They 
were followers of the apostolic Robinson, who was the found- 
er of the Independents, or Congregatiojialists ; and therefore 
they held to choosing their own minister, and then asking an 
ecclesiastical council to ordain him. They were thus opposed 
to the Brownists, who held that the laity might ordain their 
own pastors. 

"We further learn, from these extracts, that the services of 
ordination were somewhat different from those in our day. 
The council demanded not the testimonies from the candidates 
so generally required now. No examination was instituted, 
no confession of faith was read, and no charge was given 
him how or what to preach. 

The extracts furthermore record the gathering of the First 
Church in Medford. Fifteen members, who had joined the 
churches in neighboring towns, signed the covenant winch had 
been drawn for that purpose. Eleven of these brethren were 
connected with the church in Cambridge, one with that in 
Braintree, one in Watertown, one in Woburn, and one in Mai- 
den. Why the sisters did not sign, we are not told ; and it 
would be hard to give a Scriptural reason for their exclusion. 
The " covenant," while it states the three relations, — first 
to God, second to the Redeemer, and third to each other, — 
leaves unnoticed those specific doctrines, the belief in which 
has since been made a term of communion. The " old-fash- 
ioned Arminianism," so called, seemed to be the form of 
Christian faith extensively embraced by our ancestors. The 
church included nearly all the congregation, so far as heads 
of families were concerned. 

We conclude these inferences with a few words concern- 
ing the earliest pastors in New England. 



220 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Pastoral visits and parochial duties must have been peculiar 
when a clergyman had to find his way from one family to 
another by marked trees ! The connection between the 
minister and people was deemed as indissoluble as the mar- 
riage-tie. To the intelligence, self-sacrifice, and piety of 
these men of God, we owe that church, that school, and that 
family altar, which have made New England what we now 
behold it. Fides probata coronat. 

The Rev. Mr. Porter, after a peaceful and valuable minis- 
try of nearly nine years, died at his post of duty, Jan. 23, 
1722, aged thirty-three. 

Mr. Porter had some property from his father. There is 
a " deed of fifty or sixty acres of land, with a wharf and 
warehouse thereon, adjoining the river in Medford, conveyed 
by him, Jan. 7, 1716, to Benjamin Wyman, of Obum, malt- 
ster, for seventy-five pounds, New England currency." It 
was acknowledged before Stephen Sewall, Esq., of Salem, 
his father-in-law ; and on the back is this note : " Sold to 
Stephen Hall, on the 7th of June, 1739." 

We regret that so little is on record concerning this beloved 
minister of Christ. With respect to his decease, we have the 
two following records : — 

"1722, Jan. 23: The reverend minister of Meadford dies, Mr. 
Porter, which married Unkle Sewall's daughter." — S. SetvaWs 3fS. 

" 1722, midweek, Jan. 24: Just about sunset, Mr. Brattle told 
me that Mr. Aaron Porter, the desirable pastor of the church in 
Meadford, was dead of a fever, which much grieved me." — Judge 
SeivaWs Journal. 

In the burying-ground is a marble slab, with this inscrip- 
tion : " Sacred to the memory of Rev. Aaron Porter, the first 
settled minister of Medford." 

June 18, 1722 : By the advice of the President and Fel- 
lows of Harvard College, the town held a fast, to seek divine 
guidance in procuring a minister ; and Rev. Messrs. Colman, 
Fox, Hancock, Brown, and Appleton were invited to conduct 
the religious exercises. Thus, after the death of their first 
minister, the inhabitants of Medford took steps to supply 
their pulpit with candidates ; and, after hearing a few, they 
voted (May 25, 1724) "to hear Mr. Turell two sabbaths, and 
Mr. Lowell one sabbath, and then make a choice." It was 
usual for the church to nominate the candidate, and for the 
town to elect him. On one occasion, the Medford church 
nominated three candidates at the same time. Mr. Nathaniel 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



221 



Leonard (H. C. 1719) was chosen : settlement, one hundred 
pounds ; salary, eighty pounds. Mr. Samuel Dexter was 
afterwards chosen on the same terms. Both these gentlemen 
declined. Before this period, however, even as early as Oct. 
1, 1722, the town, as a town, passed some resolutions which 
must have sounded bold to English ears. " Voted that they 
would proceed to the choice of a minister by the majority of 
votes." Regardless of the church's claim to two votes, here 
is a true democracy recognized ; and it was meant to look 
very little like Episcopacy, Presbyterianism, or Romanism. 

To raise money by contributions in the meeting-house on 
Sunday was very common. From March 5, 1713, to Oct. 
19, 1718, they gathered £27. 16s. Sd. From Oct. 28, 1718, 
to Aug. 2, 1721, they gathered £15. 5s. 8d. 



REV. EBENEZER TURELL. 




222 



HISTORY OF MEDFOltD. 



This gentleman was a native of Boston, born 1701, and 
graduated at Harvard College 1721. He studied his pro- 
fession with Rev. Benjamin Colman, of Boston ; and on the 
17th June, 1724, the Selectmen of Medford having appointed 
that day for a town-fast, Mr. Colman preached a fitting ser- 
mon from these words: "And when the day of Pentecost 
was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." 
After this preparatory service, the toAvn proceeded to elect, 
unanimously, the Rev. Ebenezer Turell to be their pastor 
and teacher, — a hundred pounds settlement, and ninety 
pounds salary, and strangers' money, to be paid semi-annually. 
To this invitation Mr. Turell returned the following answer, 
dated Aug. 31, 1724: — 

" Forasmuch as the God of the spirits of all flesh (upon our seek- 
ing unto him by prayer and fasting) has inclined your hearts to 
elect and call me, who am less than the least of all saints, and 
unworthy the name of a teacher of Christ, to settle with you in the 
work of the evangelical ministry, I thought myself in duty bound 
to take this weighty and important call into my most serious and 
religious consideration ; and, in the first place, to look up to hea- 
ven unto that God who is wonderful in council as well as excellent 
in working, for his gracious assistance, direction, conduct, and bless- 
ing ; and, in the next place, to apply myself unto the servants of 
God, together with my Christian friends, for counsel and- advice in 
this important affair ; which, accordingly, I have done with what of 
sincerity and humility the grace of God has afforded me. I do, 
therefore, in the first place, offer my unfeigned thanks unto Almighty 
God for his gracious assistances vouchsafed unto me, and for the 
kind acceptance he has granted me with his people, that he has so 
far inclined me to take up the cross, and follow a glorious Saviour 
in the arduous and honorable employment of the gospel ministry. 
I desire, likewise, thankfully to receive the respect which you, the 
church and congregation of Medford, have put upon me in your late 
elections and invitations. I hope I am not altogether insensible of 
the sacredness of the office, of the importance and difficulty of the 
employments of a minister of Christ ; and therefore I would not 
undertake it with carnal and worldly views, as a trade to live by, 
or with a prospect of advancing my worldly circumstances, but, I 
hope and trust, with an eye to the honor of Christ and the good of 
immortal souls, to demolish Satan's kingdom, and to advance the 
kingdom of God in the hearts and lives of men, which are the great 
ends which are chiefly and principally to be looked at and aimed at 
in the whole business of a minister, and which I would count my 
highest honor and ambition to attain. 

" But then it is not altogether improper, but necessary, for a minis- 
ter of Christ to see to it that he has a comfortable subsistence and 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 223 



maintenance afforded unto him, whereby he may uphold the dig- 
nity of the ministerial functions, and comply with the apostolical 
precepts in the gospel relating to his carriage and behavior : which 
leads me to consider the offers you make me for my support and 
comfortable living amongst you. To which I would make this 
answer, and reply : First, that the one hundred pounds you offer 
me for my settlement, I do accept ; secondly, that the ninety pounds 
you have voted me for my year's salary, when made one hundred 
pounds, I do accept ; thirdly, the strangers' money, or the weekly 
contributions, I do for the present accept ; but, in case many of 
those whom you now call strangers become inhabitants, by a grant 
of the adjacent lands to the town of Medford, or any other way be 
obliged to rates unto the ministry of said town, — I say, in case it 
should be so ordered in the methods of Providence, I shall expect a 
rational proportion or allowance. Things being thus ordered, I do 
manifest my acceptance of your call to the work of the ministry ; 
earnestly beseeching your ardent and fervent prayers to Almighty 
God for me, that he would more and more prepare me for, incline 
me unto, and strengthen, assist, and enable me in, the work where- 
unto he has called me ; that, in whatsoever part of God's vineyard I 
may be called to labor in the same, I may be faithful and successful, 
preaching not myself, but Christ Jesus the Lord. 

" And now I commend you all unto the divine grace, conduct, and 
blessing, entreating that the God of peace and of love would dwell 
among you ; that his glorious kingdom may be advanced in and by 
you ; that the Father of lights and of mercy would bestow upon 
you every good and every perfect gift ; that in this world you may 
live a life, a faith, and holiness, and at last stand perfect and com- 
plete in the whole will of God, obtaining the reward of your 
faithful services, — even a crown of glory that shall never fade 
away, through Jesus Christ. Amen. Yours to serve, 

" E. Turell." 

"Sept. 19, 1724: This answer was ^considered, accepted, 
and fully complied withal by the church and town." Twenty 
pounds were voted to defray the expenses of the ordination, 
and ten pounds voted as additional salary, — making it one 
hundred pounds per annum. 

The record of his ordination we have in Mr. T urea's own 
hand, thus : — 

" Nov. 25, 1724 : This day was set apart as a day of fasting and 
prayer, in order to separate and ordain me to the ministerial office. 
The reverend elders sent to assist in the solemn action were the fol- 
lowing ; viz., the Rev. Dr. Cotton Mather, the Rev. Mr. John Han- 
cock, the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Colman, the Rev. Mr. Simon 
Bradstreet, the Rev. Mr. Richard Brown, the Rev. Mr. John Fox, 
the Rev. Mr. Nathaniel Appleton, the Rev. Mr. William Cooper, 



221 IIISTOllY OF MEDFORD. 

the Rev. Mr. Joshua Gee, the Rev. Mr. Joseph Emerson, and the 
Rev. Mr. Hull Abbot. Four of these reverend elders were absent; 
scil., the Rev. Dr. C. Mather, the Rev. S. Bradstreet, the Rev. R. 
Brown, and the Rev. J. Fox. The rest, being present, at the house of 
Brother John Bradshaw, formed themselves into a council, and, hav- 
ing distributed the several parts of the work, went to the place of pub- 
lic worship, where the Rev. Mr. William Cooper began with prayer. 
Prayer being ended, the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Colman preached an 
excellent sermon from these words, Second Corinthians iv. 1 : ' We, 
then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive 
not the grace of God in vain.' This being done, the Rev. Mr. 
Hancock proceeded to ordination, — Mr. Colman, Mr. Appleton, and 
Mr. Cooper joining in the imposition of hands. After this, the 
Rev. Mr. Appleton gave me the right hand of fellowship. We then 
sung the first part of the sixty-eighth Psalm ; and so concluded with 
giving the blessing." 

From these church records, we learn that entire unanimity 
prevailed in the election of Mr. Turell ; which is another 
proof of the pacific and useful ministry of his predecessor. 
We do not find any examination of the character or creed of 
the pastor elect by the ordaining council, nor is any charge 
given to him touching doctrine or discipline. Our fathers 
seemed to rely on the sufficiency of the Scriptures, and the 
right of private judgment. 

Thus Medford was provided with its second minister ; and 
all prospects seemed auspicious. Very few events of an extra- 
ordinary character occurred in the ministry of Mr. Turell. 

In order to procure the privilege of Christian baptism for 
their children, parents, who were not members of the church, 
were required to " own the covenant," as it was called ; that 
is, they stood up in the midst of the congregation, on Sunday, 
and the minister asked them if they believed the Bible to be 
the word of God, and would promise to take it as their rule 
of faith and practice. If they answered affirmatively, then 
he administered baptism to them or their children. This 
order, called the half -way covenant, was established in the 
Medford church in Mr. Porter's ministry, and was re-affirmed 
Dec. 2, 1724. 

"Mr. Thomas Hall was chosen deacon, 1726." 

" June 18, 1731 : Mr. Benjamin Willis was chosen deacon 
in the room of Brother Thomas Willis, deceased." 

It appears from the church records, that some members 
wished a more definite rule and searching scrutiny respecting 
the admission of communicants, and therefore revived the 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 225 

idea of a " hand-vote " in the church on each case. This was 
discussed in a special meeting ; and the record says : — 

" April 8, 1743 : Benjamin Tufts's petition considered, and his 
request denied for a handy-vote." 

Nov. 30, 1744, the subject was again discussed, and a dif- 
ferent result reached. The vote of July 20, 1714, abolishing 
the hand-vote, was modified thus : Voted " that the reverend 
pastor be desired to call for an handy-vote at the admission 
of members for the future, excepting when the persons to be 
admitted plead that they are in opinion or judgment for a 
silential vote." This step backwards in church discipline 
seemed nullified by the adroit introduction of the concluding 
proviso. 

" May 9, 1755 : Brothers Samuel Brooks and Jonathan Brad- 
shaw were chosen deacons, unanimously. Samuel Brooks, Esq., 
declined ; Brother Bradshaw accepted. 

"Aug. 31, 1755 : Received a folio Bible from the Hon. T. Royal, 
and voted thanks. 

" 1759 : Voted to read the Scriptures in the congregation." 

What reason our ancestors could give for not reading the 
word of God in the sabbath services, we cannot imagine. In 
1720, Mr. Holmes says : — 

"Why this practice should be discontinued by any of the disciples 
of Jesus, I see no reason. 1 am persuaded it cannot be alleged to 
be any part of our reformation from Popish superstition." 

" 1759 : Chose Brother Ebenezer Brooks a deacon, unanimously. 

"March 24, 1767 : Brothers Isaac Warren and Samuel Kidder 
were chosen deacons. 

" March 7, 1763 : Deacon Benjamin Willis, Deacon Jonathan 
Bradshaw, Deacon Ebenezer Brooks, Dr. Simon Tufts, Captain 
Caleb Brooks, Stephen Hall, Esq., Samuel Brooks, Esq., Mr. Sa- 
muel Angier, and Mr. Hugh Floyd, were chosen a Committee to 
treat with Rev. Mr. Turell, relating to the singing of Tate and 
Brady's Version of the Psalms in the congregation, instead of the 
common version now sung, and are to make report at the next May 
meeting." 

This Committee report to resign Dunster's version, and to 
adopt Tate and Brady's. 

At the above meeting, a Committee was chosen to prepare 
a place for all the singers to sit together in the meeting- 
house ; the chorister choosing the singers, and " the Select- 
men approbating them." 

29 



226 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

"Sept. 3, 1767 : At a chui-ch meeting, the brethren unanimously 
agreed to sing Dr. Brady and Mr. Tate's version of the Psalms in 
the forenoon of the Lord's Day (only), and the New England ver- 
sion in the afternoon, for six months : and, if no objection shall be 
made to it, then to sing Dr. Brady and Mr. Tate's version for the 
future." "April, 17, 1768: No objection being made, we began 
this day to sing them." 

These few copies of the church records comprise all the 
facts touching the action of the Medford church during Mr. 
Turell's ministry. They show a period of remarkable peace, 
in agreeable contrast with the sharp divisions of an earlier 
time. The following facts, gathered from various sources, 
are interesting, as they show us the ideas and conduct of our 
fathers. 

April 26, 1730 : Mr. Turell preached a sensible and timely 
discourse in favor of inoculation for the smallpox. 

Aug. 7, 1730 : Catechism day, Friday, Mr. Turell preached 
a sermon to the children, after he had questioned each one 
from the catechism. This annual exercise, or rather annual 
flight, served to recommend religion to the young much as a 
dose of medicine foreshadowed health. 

"March 5, 1739: Captain Ebenezer Brooks, Mr. John 
Willis, and Mr. Jonathan Watson, chosen a Committee to 
report what is necessary to be done to- Mr. Turell's fences." 

When the Rev. George Whitefield, of England, came to 
this country, as a missionary of the cross, to wake up the 
dead churches, and pour the breath of life into the clergy, he 
spoke as one who had authority to blow the trumpet of doom. 
He returned to England, in 17-11, for a visit, but left behind 
him followers who had neither his wisdom, nor his eloquence, 
nor his piety. Against these preachers many good men 
arrayed themselves, and Mr. Turell among the rest. He 
published, 1742, a pamphlet called " A Direction to my Peo- 
ple in Relation to the Present Times." In this book, he 
calls on his people to distinguish between the fervors of their 
excited imaginations and the still small voice of God's effectual 
grace ; he also cautions them against believing in multitudi- 
nous meetings as the best places for true gospel learning and 
Christian piety ; he furthermore suggests the expediency of 
not narrating their religious experiences, for fear that spiritual 
pride will take the place of humility ; he openly blames those 
preachers who travel about, and, without being asked, go 
and act the bishop in other men's dioceses. In this pam- 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 221 

phlet, Mr. Turell names " thirteen particulars ; " or, in 
other words, objections to the "new-light movement." The 
censorious spirit ; the representing assurance to be the essence 
of saving faith, and that, without this assurance, none should 
come to the Lord's table ; the false witness of the Spirit ; the 
insecurity of dreams, spiritual visions, and impulses ; preach- 
ing without study ; esteeming unconverted ministers as use- 
less ; the preaching and praying of women in public ; the 
want of decent order in public worship ; the over-estimate of 
sudden light and comfort in the soul ; and the singing of 
unauthorized hymns in unauthorized places, — all these are 
spoken of as objectionable features in the Whitefield regene- 
rating processes. Mr. Turell expresses an ardent zeal in 
every true work of God's Spirit, and as jealous a caution 
against every counterfeit work. It is very clear that the 
revival times woke up the slumbering energies of the Med- 
ford preacher, and caused him to think and write and preach 
and print better than he had ever done before. s 

His pamphlet called out a sharp and well-reasoned answer, 
under this title : " A Letter from the Rev. Mr. Croswell to 
the Rev. Mr. Turell, in answer to his Direction to his Peo- 
ple. Boston, 1742." He takes up the several "particulars " 
in order, and, in many of them, demolishes Mr. TurelPs con- 
clusions ; while, in others, he is mastered by superior force. 
Where Mr. Turell objects to ministers preaching without 
notes, Mr. Croswell replies, and says : " The more any of us 
improve in the divine life, the less paper we shall want in 
order to preach the gospel." Mr. Croswell concludes his 
reply with these words : — 

" I look upon your little pamphlet to be more infectious and poi- 
sonous than the French prophets, 'the trial of Mr. Whitefield's 
spirit,' or any other pamphlet of this kind we have been infected 
with. That God may grant repentance to you for writing it, and 
to others for spreading it abroad, especially to ministers who have 
given them about in their own parishes, is the hearty prayer of your 
well-wisher and humble servant, Andrew Croswell." 

This attack and others moved Mr. Turell to further expres- 
sions of opinion ; and he published, in 1742, another pam- 
plet, entitled — 

" Mr. TureU's Dialogue between a Minister and his Neighbor 
about the Times. To which is added, An Answer to Mr. John Lee's 
Remarks on a Passage in the Preface of his Direction to his 
People, &c." 



228 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

This pamphlet is written with more care than the first, 
and in a sweeter spirit. The Neighbor is made^to ask all the 
important questions touching the great issues then before 
the community, and the Minister sets himself to answer 
methodically every inquiry. In his preface, he says : — 

" I have cast the discourse into this dialogistical mould to render 
it more agreeable to the lower ranks of men, for whose benefit it is 
chiefly designed." 

It defines what is a true work of God's grace, and what 
are the proofs of it, and then contrasts these w r ith the coun- 
terfeit exhibitions. Speaking of the mental agonies of 
some persons under conviction, he says : " Distraction, or a 
deprivation of reason, is far from being serviceable to reli- 
gion." Of the spiritual manifestations of those days, he 
speaks under the heads of dreams, visions, and impulses ; and 
he says : — 

" I have shown my dislike of them, because all such things evi- 
dently lead us from the word of God, the only rule by which we can 
judge of this work or of our own state. I see no reason why we 
should look for such things under the present dispensation. I have 
ever taught you that the Bible is a perfect rule of faith and man- 
ners, — a more sure word of prophecy. We are safe while we adhere 
to it ; but we know not into whose hands we fall when we give heed 
to fancies and impressions." 

He also speaks of sudden screamings and raptures, and 
says : — 

" Some of the first screamings in these parts on the sabbath were 
under my preaching, and they hav^ been repeated ; but, Mr. Henry 
says, Satan gets possession by the senses and passions, Christ by 
the understanding." 



•V 



He writes with warmth against itinerant preachers going, 
unasked, to hold meetings in other ministers' parishes. 
Against the public preaching of women he quotes those 
emphatic texts of St. Paul ; and against "hymns of human 
composition " is very severe. He does not speak ill of our 
poet-laureate of the church, Dr. Watts ; but thinks that 
" mere human composures " may introduce heresy. He ends 
thus : — 

" Be not offended at these things, or prejudiced against the 
genuine work of God, from disorders and irregularities that arise 
among us : be sure to put in for a share of the spiritual blessings 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 229 

so liberally bestowed at this day. Give yourself to prayer, to read- 
ing and hearing the word, to meditation, self-examination ; and let 
nothing satisfy you short of a whole Christ and a whole salvation. 
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you." 

Feb. 5, 1743: Mr. Turell preached a strong sermon 
against the Separatists, from Isa. xlix. 4. William Hall 
and wife walked out of the meeting-house during the delivery 
of the sermon ; whereupon Mr. Turell, before the congrega- 
tion, immediately pronounced Mrs. Hall a Separatist. If the 
preacher knew that Mrs. Hall was the Eve in this obliquity, 
he showed his sense in not blaming her husband. This 
insurrectionary movement disclosed two things : first, that 
Mr. Turell fearlessly preached what he thought was needed 
by the times ; and, secondly, that some people did not pin 
their faith upon their minister's sleeve, but thought for them- 
selves, and acted accordingly. We can imagine how much 
raw wonder and sly surmise an event of this kind must have 
awakened in some quarters. On this account, Mr. Turell, 
on the next Sunday, preached the two sermons he first 
preached in Medford ; and, on the succeeding Sunday, he 
repeated the two sermons he preached immediately after his 
ordination, nineteen years before. In these discourses, 
doubtless, were found ample vindications of the extraordinary 
course he had pursued. 

Mr. Turell wrote against witchcraft, and his printed pam- 
phlet (Hist. Col., 2d series, vol. x. p. 6) contains statements 
sufficiently marvellous and revolting. The opinions and 
feelings of the writer may be best gathered from his " intro- 
duction." It is as follows : — r 

" Although I am as far as any one from holding or maintaining 
the doctrine of the Sadducees, and firmly believe the existence of 
spirits, an invisible world, and particularly the agency of Satan and 
his .instruments in afflicting and tormenting the children of men 
(when permitted by God) ; yet I fear the. world has been wretchedly 
imposed upon by relations of such matters. Tricks and legerdemain 
have been fathered upon Satan, and others falsely reputed as being 
in covenant with him, by ignorant and designing people, in which 
they were not so immediately concerned. Many things have been 
dubbed witchcraft, and called the works of the devil, which were 
nothing more than the contrivances of the children of men, who are 
wise to do evil, and who, upon strict examination, might have been 
detected. There are some books in the world, filled with stories of 
witchcrafts, apparitions, haunted houses, &c, to which we owe no 
more faith than to the tales of fairies and other idle romances. 



230 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Where one relation is exactly according to truth, there are two, at 
least, that are wholly the fruit of wild imagination, or intolerably 
mixed with deceit and falsehood. Hence some have taken occasion 
to doubt of, and deny the existence of, spirits and an invisible 
world ; and others, to turn all that wise men say or write about 
them into ridicule. 'Tis a pity the world has been so credulous, 
and furnished these sceptics with matters to make sport of. At the 
same time, it is a thing horrid to think of, that we should be imposed 
upon by false relations, and our understandings daily affronted by 
lies. It certainly would have been a singular kindness, if those who 
have been instrumental in detecting falsehoods of this nature, espe- 
cially causes of pretended witchcraft, had been careful, and had taken 
and emitted authentic accounts of them, from time to time, which 
might have proved an happy means of preventing the like, or stop- 
ping the progress. When I consider this, and what every one owes 
to his own generation and to posterity, I reckon myself obliged to 
offer a story, full of remarkable circumstances, which was the subject 
of much discourse and debate in the day of it, and has lately, by the 
wonderful providence of God and his most powerful mercy, been 
brought to light, and unfolded. I trust it may be of some service 
to the world, and therefore commend it to the divine blessing. 

" E. T." 

The book relates, minutely, the strange actions of two sis- 
ters, who wished to be considered witches, and who were 
sufficiently successful in feints and falsehoods to gain general 
credence of their claims. They lived at Littleton, and, 
after being discovered, refuted, and exposed, came to Med- 
ford. Here they conducted well, and all witchery was over. 

Sept. 14, 1728, the eldest, E h, asked admission to the 

church. Her history was not known, and she was " pro- 
pounded." The next Sunday Mr. Turell preached on 
lying; and so graphically did he depict her former habits in 
this respect, that she was conscience-smitten, and came to 
him immediately and made confession of the whole. Her 
narrative is very interesting, and her penitence seemed to 
be sincere. Mr. Turell required her to make public confes- 
sion of her sin before the church, and then to refer her case 
to the brethren. She made the public confession, assuring 
them of her sincere repentance, and her resolution to walk 
worthily of the holy vocation she now promised to adopt. 
The church believed in her sincerity ; and she was admitted 
to full communion, and .proved herself a humble, devout, 
and accepted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

At the close of the pamphlet, Mr. Turell gives two pages 
of excellent counsel to the churches, to parents and children, 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 231 

and to all very susceptible temperaments. Among other 
things, he says : — 

" Truth is the food of an immortal soul. Feed not any longer on 
the fabulous husks of falsehood. Never use any of the devil's play- 
things. The horse-shoe is a vain thing, and has no natural ten- 
dency to keep off witches or evil spirits. Be warned against all 
such trading with the devil." 

Although this form of evil has passed away, we have not 
got rid of the thing itself. In modern guises, we have witches 
who carry their divining hazel ; and we have demons, with 
Beelzebub to preside. 

June 3, 1744 : A violent earthquake occurred on this day 
(Sunday). " It came," says Mr. Seccomb, " when the first 
morning prayer was about half done. The people were much 
surprised ; many screeched, and many ran out of meeting ; 
and Mr. Turell left off prayer until it was over, and the peo- 
ple a little composed ; and then he began again, and finished 
the exercise." We are not surprised at the deep agitation of 
the assembly, who probably believed that such extraordinary 
manifestations of natural laws were special interpositions of a 
vindictive Providence. We like their finishing the service. 

Sept. 23, 1744 : Mr. Turell preached two sermons from 
Second Corinthians ii. 11, "because Ebenezer Francis 
allowed one Adams, a roving preacher, to come and preach 
at his house, against the will of Mr. Turell and a great num- 
ber of the brethren, who are much offended at him and his 
preaching, now and heretofore." We are a little surprised 
at a result of this event, mentioned in the record that follows 
the notice ; viz., " The sacrament was put off on this ac- 
count." Was this event greater than the earthquake ? 

From 1730 to 1750, there were, on an average, from 
twenty-five to thirty baptisms in each year. From ten to 
twenty persons annually joined the church. In the year 
1747, there was no one admitted ; and this forms the one 
exception in Mr. Turell's ministry. 

In 1747, a, female sexton was chosen to ring the bell and 
sweep the meeting-house. Salary, twenty-two pounds (old 
tenor) per annum. 

Of church-members, 63 are male, 87 female, residing in 
Medford ; occasional, 15 : total, 165. 

" May 18, 1774 : Voted that Mr. Turell should have three hun- 



232 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

dred pounds (old tenor) as annual salary, In order to make his salary 
now equal to what it was when he settled among us." 

May 15, 1749 : Mr. Turell's salary was raised to five hun- 
dred pounds (old tenor). These votes reveal the perilous 
changes in the value of money, which then so perplexed and 
distressed the colonies. It made it necessary to vote the 
minister's salary each year : accordingly, in 1751, we find the 
salary stated in the new, or, as it was sometimes called, the 
middle tenor, X73. 6s. 8d. 

It was the custom of those days to introduce domestic joys 
and sorrows into the pulpit. A slave, named Sharper, and 
owned by Mr. Turell, was very ill, and his master preached 
on the Sabbath from these words : " My servant lieth at 
home sick." Sharper died just as the sermon was ended. 
"When Mr. Turell wooed and won the beautiful Miss Jane 
Colman, daughter of Rev. Dr. Colman, of Boston, whose 
graceful form and brilliant eye allured one's attention from 
the exceeding brunette in her complexion, he preached on 
the first Sabbath after his marriage from this text : Cant, 
i. 5 : "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusa- 
* lem." Mr. Turell lost the children he had by his first 
wife. His second wife was Miss Lucy Dudley, by whom he 
had no children ; and his third wife was Mrs. Devenport. 
He died childless. On the occasion of his " publishment " 
to Mrs. Devenport, Sept. 28, 1735, he preached from Cant. iii. 
3: "Saw ye him (her) whom my soul loveth?" On the 
Sabbath after his marriage, he preached from Cant. v. 16 : 
"He (she) is altogether lovely. This is my beloved and this 
is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." Mr. Turell was 
not more fond of good company, good wine, and good din- 
ners, than most people of his day ; and to them it did not 
seem strange that he should preach from Cant. v. 1 : 
" Eat, friends ; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." 
Among the preachers of that time, there was some rivalship 
of ingenuity in extracting godly morals and even Christian 
doctrines from Solomon's epithalamium. It is true that rich 
jewels are sometimes found in very unpromising places. 
Mrs. Turell, whose poetic invitation to the country, like 
Horace's, speaks of motives, has these lines : — 

" To please the taste, no rich Burgundian wine 
In crystal glasses on my sideboard shine ; 
No wine, but what does from my apples flow, 
My frugal house on any can bestow." 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 233 

Mr. Turell was not pleased with the conduct of the popular 
Whitefield, and did not scruple to say so. Mr. Turell Tufts, 
son of Dr. Simon Tufts, writes thus concerning this sub- 
ject : — 

" There were some zealots in Medford, who were desirous that 
their minister should invite Mr. "Whitefield. to preach in his pulpit ; 
but he opposed it strongly ; and, to justify himself, he preached a 
sermon from this text : ' I will magnify my office.' And I remem- 
ber, on a day when Drs. Thatcher and Osgood dined with my 
father, he read some striking passages to them from that sermon ; 
and they said that it was probably the best sermon that Mr. Turell 
ever delivered." 

When Mr. Turell was ill, Mr. "Whitefield did get into his 
pulpit. Oct. 7, 1770, Mr. Turell preached a sermon on the 
death of Mr. "Whitefield, from this text : " Verily, every man 
at his best estate is altogether vanity." 

April 18, 1768 : The number of church-members was 49 
males, and 74 females ; total, 123. 

March 7, 1774: "Voted, that the singers have the two 
hind seats of $ie women's seats below ; " and the Committee 
shall designate who shall occupy said seats. 

May 20, 1776 : " Voted, that the singers have one-half of 
the three front seats in the women's gallery, next to the 
women." 

Age, with its accompaniments, gathered upon the pastor ; 
and he was frequently obliged to ask assistance from the 
young preachers of the college, who cheerfully bestowed the 
" labor of love." As he was known to possess some pro- 
perty, the town voted the annual salary of £80 with less zeal 
tiian they should. May 14, 1772, the vote stood 18 yeas, 
and 14 nays ; but, as Mr. Turell was unwell, they voted £50 
to supply the pulpit. May 24, 1773 : Mr. Turell continues 
sick, and the following is " Voted, unanimously, to grant the 
Rev. Mr. Turell the sum of £66. 135. 4c?., annually, for his 
salary during his continuance in the ministry in said town." 

In September, 1774, he received a colleague, on whom the 
chief labor devolved, and for four years enjoyed his release 
from ministerial anxieties. On the 5th December, 1778, he 
died of old age, having reached-the seventy-seventh year of his 
life, and the fifty-fourth of his ministry. He was buried on the 
8th. " Mr. Lawrence prayed ; the President of Harvard Col- 
lege, Rev. Mr. Cushing, Rev. Mr. Clark, and Rev. Mr. Wood- 
ward, bore the pall." The following Sunday, Mr. Osgood 

30 



234 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

preached an appropriate sermon. Thus died a clergyman and 
pastor who had preached in all the meeting-houses which had 
been built in Medford, from the first settlement of the town 
to the year 1824 ! He kept no record of deaths. He baptized 
1,037 persons ; married 220 couple ; and admitted to the 
church 323 communicants. 

Some further light may be shed on the character of Mr. 
Turell by a few extracts from his wills. One will is dated 
Oct. 8, 1758 ; another, in 1762 ; and a third, in 1764. He 
shows sound judgment, kind affections, and Christian justice, 
in his bequests. 

His dwelling-house, which is now owned and occupied by 
Jonathan Porter, Esq., he gave to the church in Medford, 
" for the use of the ministry for ever." He gave his " largest 
silver tankard, and a silver spoon,* which has a lion's head 
engraved on it, to the church in Medford." He gave "to 
Madam Elizabeth Royal, and Peter Chardon, Esq., each a 
mourning ring." 

" I give to Mrs. Lucy Tufts her aunt Turell's picture. 

" I give to Mr. Faneuil, and Mrs. Hatch, their grandfather's 
and grandmother's pictures. 

" I give to Harvard College the learned Dr. Isaac Barrow's 
work, in three vols., folio ; my fine loadstone, set in silver ; and my 
bunch or brush of spun glass. 

" Item. My good servant "Worcester, — I give him his freedom, 
and discharge him from any demands of my heirs or executors on 
account of his being a slave ; and order my executor to reserve in 
his hands £50, sterling, to and for the use of my said servant, if he 
should be unable to support himself ; the same to be given him at 
the discretion of my said executor." 

When the town determined to set the meeting-house where 
it was built in 1769, Mr. Turell remonstrated. He wished 
it placed beside the old one. He accordingly erased from his 
will the section in which he had given his dwelling-house to 
the town ! 

The system of " exchanges," by which neighboring minis- 
ters preached in each other's pulpits, was in full activity dur- 
ing Mr. Turell's ministry ; and the Medford church was 
instructed occasionally by Rev. Messrs. Colman, Cooper, 
Gardner, and Byles, of Boston ; Prince, Warren, and Clapp, 
of Cambridge ; Stimson, of Charlestown ; Coolidge, of Water- 
town ; Flagg, of Woburn ; Lowell and Tufts, of Newbury ; 
Parkman, of Westbury; Parsons, of Bradford; and many 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 235 

more. This wide connection in ministerial brotherhood 
shows Mr. Turell to have enjoyed the respect and esteem of 
the clergy, as well as the approbation and confidence of the 
churches. President Allen, in his Biographical Dictionary, 
speaks of him thus : — 

" He was an eminent preacher, of a ready invention, a correct 
judgment, and fervent devotion, who delivered divine truth with 
animation, and maintained discipline in his church with boldness 
tempered by prudence." 

An anecdote is told of him, which may mean much or lit- 
tle. It was reported that Mr. Whitefield was to preach in 
Medford the next sabbath. A man from Maiden came, and 
took his seat in the meeting-house. He thought he was 
listening to the wonderful preacher, and went into corre- 
sponding raptures. For a week he praised "the unpa- 
ralleled," and then learned that he had listened to Mr. 
Turell. 

We do not suppose that Mr Turell was one of those men 
who can make ice perform the offices of fire ; nor was such a 
man then needed in Medford. In his intercourse with his 
people, he was kind-hearted, social, and dignified. There 
was about him a morning freshness which was very agree- 
able. At home, he was hospitable and generous ; a lover of 
anecdotes, even when they related to his own personal beauty, 
which was remarkable. As a preacher, he was clear, direct, 
and scriptural ; following the habit of that day, which was to 
amass texts from Scripture in proof of Christian doctrine and 
useful morals. The unflinching directness of the following 
is more apparent than its classic taste. He was preaching 
on selfishness ; and, after designating certain people, he 
said : — 

" They are so selfish, that, if their neighbor's barn was on fire, 
they would not lift a finger to extinguish the flames, if they could 
only roast their own apples." 

In his theological sentiments, he sometimes revolved 
round the Assembly's Catechism, and believed that he was 
thus revolving round the Bible. A parishioner of his, who 
had moved into the country, where no stated sabbath exercises' 
and worship could be enjoyed, wrote to Mr. Turell (1760), 
lamenting his absence from public worship and the use of 
Christian means. Mr. Turell writes a very good letter, in 
which he says to him : " You have your Bible, which contains 



23G 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



all things necessary for salvation." His ministry gave content- 
ment to his people, and passed away like the seasons, show- 
ing bloom, growth, and fruitage, without noise or record. 

His printed compositions are few. We have seen his 
biographical notice of his first wife, Mrs. Jane Colman 
Turell ; and it gives evidence of his just appreciation of a 
most interesting woman in the family and a pious member of 
the church. His sketch of his father-in-law, Dr. Colman, is 
a labored and successful eulogy of every quality in the 
deceased which could ornament a man or sanctify a preacher. 
The manuscript sermons which have escaped destruction are 
chiefly amplifications of texts which pertained to his theme, 
ending with the accustomed "improvement," which was a 
practical application of his doctrine to the hearts and lives of 
his audience. 



REV. DAVID OSGOOD, D.D. 




ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 237 

The third minister of Medford was born in the south-west 
part of Andover, within half a mile of the Tewksbury line. 
His father, Captain Isaac Osgood, who lived to an advanced 
age, was born upon and occupied the same farm which had 
been owned and cultivated by his father before him, Mr. 
Stephen Osgood, who belonged originally to the north parish 
in Andover. David, the oldest of Captain Isaac Osgood's four 
sons, was born October, 1747. His mother's maiden name 
was Elizabeth Flint ; and she was the daughter of a respecta- 
ble farmer in the neighboring town of Reading. She was a 
great invalid ; and no tradition remains of her having exer- 
cised any leading influence over the characters of her sons, 
all of whom^vere men of more than common intellectual 
endowments. David assiduously labored with his father on 
the farm until the age of nineteen, when he began to direct 
his studies with reference to a collegiate education. In these 
studies he was guided and helped by Rev. Mr. Emerson, of 
Holliston. Like most young men of that day, he taught a 
school as a means of support, and entered Harvard College, 
in 1767, at the age of twenty-one. His age gave him great 
advantage in mastering the more difficult studies, and he 
sustained a high rank in his class. His predilections for the 
ministry had always been dominant ; and, immediately after 
his graduation, he commenced the study of divinity, residing 
part of his time in Cambridge, and part in Andover. 

March 10, 1774 : On this day, the town of Medford voted 
to hear Mr. David Osgood as a candidate for settlement. 
This proposal was accepted ; and the consequence was (April 
18, 1774) an invitation from the church and the town to 
settle as colleague pastor with Rev. Ebenezer Turell. 
There were sixty yeas, and six nays. The six gentlemen 
(Simon Tufts, Thomas Brooks, jun., Edward Brooks, Samuel 
Angier, Joshua Simonds, — the sixth not named) opposed 
the call because they diifered from the candidate in their 
interpretation of Scripture ; he adopting the Calvinistic doc- 
trine of total depravity* and they taking the Arminian view 
of the subject. 

The Arminian brethren began to use all lawful means to 
prevent the acceptance of the call. They addressed a letter 
to the pastor elect, May 4, 1774, detailing their reasons for 
opposing him. On the thirteenth of that month, he sends 
his refusal of the invitation, based, as he says, upon "the 
quality and rank of my present opposers, and the great 



238 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

weight of their objections," &c. This letter of refusal is 
written with power and feeling ; and it re-asserts the doctrine 
of " the total corruption of the human heart by nature, pre- 
vious to renovating grace, as a cardinal point in revealed 
religion." This doctrine the Arminian brethren believed to 
be " unscriptural," and contended that it makes " an infinitely 
holy God the efficient cause of all sin in his creatures." 

The town did not resign the hope of settling their favorite 
candidate. They chose a Committee to consult with the six 
dissentients ; and the Committee performed their duty kindly 
and faithfully, but without much success. June 9, 1774, the 
church and town renew their invitation to Mr. Osgood. 
Yeas, 67 ; nays, 5. Salary, eighty pounds (lawful money) 
during Mr. Turell's life, and ninety pounds afterwards. The 
opponents of this procedure renew their efforts to prevent the 
settlement; and, on the 13th July, 1774, respectfully ask 
the town to call an ecclesiastical council, of their own selec- 
tion, to examine the theological opinions of the pastor elect 
before he shall give his answer to their call. This request 
was refused ; and, July 23, Mr. Osgood sends his letter of 
acceptance. Aug. 12, the dissatisfied brethren sent a com- 
munication to the church, through their aged pastor, declaring 
their reasons for opposing the ordination of Mr. Osgood, and 
avowing their zeal for justice and peace. They then propose 
a mutual council, to examine Mr. Osgood's religious opinions. 
At a church -meeting, held Aug. 16, this proposition was 
debated, and voted down. At the same meeting, they voted 
to proceed to the ordination, and agreed to invite nine 
churches ; those in Cambridge, Charlestown, Stoneham, 
Woburn, Maiden, and Andover. The time was the second 
Wednesday in September ; and these words are a part of 
the vote : " The day to be kept as a fast " ! 

Sept. 5, 1774, the dissatisfied brethren sent a long com- 
munication to the pastor elect, in which they apprise him that 
they have resolved to oppose his ordination ; and they send 
him a copy of statements which they intend to make. 

On the morning of the 14th September, 1774, the ordain- 
ing council assembled and organized in full numbers; 
Rev. Dr. Appleton, Moderator ; and Rev. Mr. Searl, Scribe. 
After the usual preliminary exercises, the four dissentients 
— Thomas Brooks, jun., Edward Brooks, Samuel Angier, 
and Joshua Simonds — presented themselves before the 
council, and asked to be heard. They stated that they had 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 239 

grave reasons for opposing the ordination of Mr. David Os- 
good, and requested permission to state those reasons. They 
presented a paper to the council ; and the consequence was, 
that the entire day was painfully occupied in debating the 
vexed questions. It is not worth while to trace the steps of 
the controversy, but to let the result of the council be a suffi- 
cient record of the whole matter. The result of council was 
expressed in these words : — 

" It was then proposed, whether it was not expedient that a paper 
should be read which was said to contain a narrative of some affairs 
in Boxford in which Mr. Osgood was concerned, or some remarks 
upon the result of a council there. The reading of said paper was 
urged by some members of Medford church who call themselves 
aggrieved. The council refused to hear it, for reasons offered by 
Mr. Osgood." 

It was desired by the aggrieved that a certain contest be- 
tween Mr. Osgood and Captain Adams should be considered ; 
but this was refused, as it appeared to be an article which 
had been laid before the council at Boxford, and concerning 
which they had judged and determined. 

It was then voted by the council to hear a sermon of Mr. 
Osgood's on Eph. ii. 2 ; which was objected against, as con- 
taining doctrines of pernicious tendency. The council, upon 
hearing it, judged it to be sound and orthodox. 

Mr. Osgood then delivered the following confession of his 
faith, which was well approved : — 

" I believe that there is one only living and true God, whose 
being and perfections are eternally and necessarily existent, immu- 
table, and independent ; of whom as their primary efficient cause, 
and through whom as their sole preserver, governor, and absolute 
disposer, and to whom as their ultimate scope and issue, are all 
things and events which ever have or shall take place in the uni- 
verse ; that this God is the alone proper and fit object of religious 
worship ; and that he is, on account of his own moral beauty and 
excellence, infinitely worthy of the supreme love and entire obedi- 
ence of all created intelligences. 

" I, believe that the books of the Old and New Testament are an 
exhibition of the mind and will of God to man, in which are com- 
prised all those doctrines and instructions which are necessary to 
guide and direct men in the way to happiness and eternal life ; 
that in these books God has revealed himself as existing (though 
in a manner above my comprehension) in a triplicity of persons, — 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 



240 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" I believe, on the authority of these books, that God at first cre- 
ated man perfectly holy and upright ; that, whilst in this state, he 
made a covenant with him, which virtually included his future off- 
spring ; that, in consequence of the breach of this covenant, man- 
kind do now come into existence with hearts wholly corrupt ; on 
account of which corruption, they are liable to suffer all the evils 
implied in the curse of the law. 

" I believe that this corruption of the human heart has not de- 
stroyed that freedom which is necessary to moral action, but that 
mankind still remain the subjects of God's moral government. 

" I believe that, though God was wholly unobliged in strict justice 
to provide a Saviour for these apostate creatures, he has yet done 
it of his own mere good pleasure, and for the display of his unme- 
rited grace ; that Jesus Christ is this Saviour, in whom the divine 
and human nature are united in a manner inconceivable by me ; 
that this Saviour, by voluntarily undertaking the work of redemp- 
tion, and in a federal capacity becoming obedient to the Father's 
will, even unto death, has so displayed the deformity of sin, and 
has done such honor to the divine law and government, as to 
render it consistent with the perfect rectitude of the supreme Go- 
vernor to pardon and receive to favor sinners who believe in Christ, 
though in themselves they are infinitely guilty and undeserving ; 
that this faith in Christ is not a bare speculative assent of the 
understanding only, but an hearty approbation of his mediatorial 
character ; that it is an holy act, proceeding from a sanctified or 
good heart, which good heart is created by the power of the Holy 
Ghost in regeneration ; that though regeneration be the immediate 
and powerful exertion of the Spirit of God in the soul, yet that the 
usual way in which sinners are thus born again, and brought to the 
exercise of that faith which, according to the gospel plan, entitles 
them to the benefits of Christ's purchased redemption, is whilst they 
are attending upon what are called the means of grace, are reading, 
hearing, or meditating upon divine truth, and are laboring after the 
knowledge of God and of themselves, and an acquaintance with 
spiritual and eternal things. 

"In a word, I apprehend that those doctrines specified in the 
Assembly's Catechism are, in the main, consonant to those revealed 
in the sacred oracles as fundamentals in the gospel scheme, — which 
doctrines, as a Christian, I am bound to profess, and, as a preacher, 
to teach and inculcate. David Osgood. 

" Medford, Sept. 14, 1774." 

The council then were desired to determine whether it 
was not expedient for them to advise to the calling a mutual 
council, to hear and judge concerning the objections of the 
aggrieved. This the council judged to be inexpedient. 

The council being satisfied with Mr. Osgood, notwith- 
standing the objections brought against him, which they fully 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 241 

and patiently heard and duly considered, proceeded to the 
business of ordination. 

In the meeting-house the church publicly renewed their 
call ; and Mr. Osgood publicly accepted. 

Introductory prayer, by Rev. Mr. Willis, of Maiden ; ser- 
mon, by Rev. Mr. French, of Andover ; ordaining prayer 
and charge, by Rev. Dr. Appleton, of Cambridge ; right hand 
of fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Cook, of Cambridge ; concluding 
prayer, by Rev. Mr. Searl, of Stoneham. 

The result of this council was right. The charges against 
the character of Mr. Osgood were not sustained so as to dis- 
qualify him for the office of a Christian minister ; and the 
charges against his Calvinistic opinions were such objections 
to them as all Arminians would offer. It was not to be ex- 
pected that a town would be defeated in its choice of a pas- 
tor, when sixty-seven votes out of seventy-two were for a 
favorite candidate. It was certainly a high compliment to 
the " quality and rank of the opposers " that they induced 
Mr. Osgood to give a negative answer to the first invitation ; 
and it appears from all the documents that the aggrieved 
party were sincere and reluctant opposers of their fellow- 
communicants. They deemed loyalty to truth and obedience 
to Christ paramount to all earthly and personal considera- 
tions ; and however we, at this day, may differ from them, 
we must accord to them a conscientious desire to promote the 
glory of God and the good of the church. A proof of their 
love of peace was found in the fact, that, on the morning 
after the ordination, three of the opposers of it waited 
together upon the new pastor ; when Thomas Brooks, jun., 
Esq., addressed him thus : — 

" Rev. Sir, — We opposed the giving you a call, and we opposed 
your ordination ; we did thus from our deepest convictions of duty 
to Christ and his church ; but, as we have failed in all our efforts, 
and you are now to begin your ministry among us, we have come 
here to tell you that our opposition to you ceases, and that you will 
find us constant attendants on your ministrations, and ready to aid 
you in your holy work." 

Dr. Osgood told the writer of this, that he found these gen- 
tlemen among his most generous and attentive parishioners. 

The ministry of Mr. Osgood commenced just as the revo- 
lutionary earthquake began to terrify the Colonies ; and 
politics seemed to devour all other topics. He early took 
side with the friends of freedom ; and, lor many years during 

31 



242 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

his unmarried state, did not press the town for his salary. 
The fugitive value of the old continental money caused some 
embarrassment a few years later ; but he bore with cheerful- 
ness his share of the common public burdens. While a part of 
the continental army was stationed at Charlestown, on Win- 
ter Hill, the soldiers walked to Medford for the pleasure of 
attending his public ministrations. 

Citizen. — Dr. Osgood, as a citizen, was a lover of peace, 
and an early advocate of temperance societies. His love of 
country showed itself prominently during our difficulties with 
Great Britain in 1812. His sermon at the annual election in 
1809, that before the students of Harvard College in 1810, 
and his " Solemn Protest " against the declaration of war in 
1812, prove that the fear of man was not before his eyes. 
As a federalist of the old school, he felt bound to thunder his 
anathemas against the new doctrines of the national adminis- 
tration ; but it was felt by some of his friends that his offer- 
ings on the altar of patriotism burned too brightly. So keen 
were his applications, that it could not be said of him, Tarn 
unice vituperat, ut laudare videtur. 

Preacher. — As a preacher, his mind was not so much the 
rapid, inventive, and poetic, as the clear, metaphysic, and prac- 
tical. It was ardent, but not glowing ; always free, but 
always reverent ; and particularly excelled in illustrating 
moral truth. To sterling Anglo-Saxon sense he added a 
vast mental industry ; and, had he been a poet, his power as a 
preacher would have been well-nigh doubled. Pithy and 
sententious apothegms were not common with him. His 
writings were not clusters of maxims ; but consecutive 
thought, expressed in pure, plain English. During the first 
part of his ministry, it seemed to be his leading aim to con- 
vince his people of the truth of his creed ; and this immersed 
him in the acute metaphysics of Edwards. In a discrimi- 
nating notice of him, written immediately after his death, 
there is the following : — 

"As a preacher, he was very distinguished. His matter was 
copious and sensible, and drawn, for the most part, from the moral 
precepts and the undisputed doctrines of the gospel. His style 
was animated and forcible, and his manner one of the most striking 
which we have ever witnessed. His looks, his gesture, and the 
tones of his voice, were altogether peculiar to himself. Without 
being at all like those which we are accustomed to find in what is 
called a finished speaker, they were so energetic, so full of mean- 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 243 

ing, so truly eloquent, that they arrested and enchained the most 
profound and delighted attention. We shall never forget his patri- 
archal appearance in the pulpit." 

Another writer at the same time says, — 

" Dr. Osgood's singular excellence was in the energetic, impas- 
sioned expression of religious sentiment. When urging an impor- 
tant practical truth, his mind seemed all on fire with his theme. 
His tones, his gesture, his enthusiasm, — his inspiration, I had almost 
said, — were peculiarly his own. Hence, if he did not always satisfy 
hy an argument, he seldom failed to overpower by an appeal." 

During the latter part of his life, his aim seemed rather to 
touch their hearts with a warm piety, and to lead them trust- 
ingly to a divine Saviour. This change, however, in him was 
gradual. He found the noonday sun shining upon him at a dif- 
ferent angle from the morning ray. He believed with Augus- 
tine, Nulla falsa doctrina est, qua. non aliquid veri permisceat. 

He kept up his studies in Hebrew, and gave frequent ex- 
positions of the Old Testament ; but he did not touch the 
harp of the prophet with that unholy violence which snaps 
its chords. He continued his reading of the Greek and Latin 
classics, and often enriched his sermons from them ; thus 
making heathen plants bear fruit on Christian soil. 

He was a fearless preacher. Hating hypocrisy with his 
whole heart, he could drag into light the secret, double-faced 
pretender with awful power ; and he loved to make the bold, 
successful demagogue tremble before him. He was not one 
of those who are always hacking at the branches of evil : 
his mode was to strike at its root. In mild persuasion he 
did not excel ; but in righteous rebuke he had no equal. 

His appearance in the sacred desk was singularly imposing, 
especially after age had whitened his locks. He had a well- 
developed frame, a strongly-marked face, a powerful voice, 
and sometimes a very animated delivery. Most of the 
sermons, in the volume published after his death, were deli- 
vered memoriter ; and, as these added graces cannot be found in 
the printed page, those sermons will not justify to after-gene- 
rations the eulogy we have passed upon him as a preacher. 

Opinions. — His opinions were not stereotyped. His con- 
stant study and patient reflection extended his views of God 
and of Christ, of man and of truth. At the time of his settle- 
ment, the doctrines of Arminius, Calvin, and Hopkins un- 
equally divided this community. He inclined, with deepest 
conviction, to the school of the learned Genevan. 



244 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

He was strongly attached to the Protestant, Congregational 
order of church government, and had little love for "Episco- 
pacy. His " Plea for Infant Baptism " was considered one 
of his ablest works. Though early biased in favor of Calvin- 
ism, he would not allow himself to be a slave to other men's 
decisions. He would judge of the Bible for himself. Nul- 
lius addictus jurare in verba magistri. We should like to 
have seen him in the situation of Rev. Marmaduke Mathews, 
the first minister of Maiden, in 1650, who was accused of free 
thinking and free talking ; and " the General Court ordered 
Governor Endicott, in its name, to admonish him," We 
think the General Court and Governor, before they had got 
Dr. Osgood under their spiritual duress, would have been 
glad to say, " Go thy way for this time : when we have a 
more convenient season, we will call for thee." 

He was that " freeman whom the truth makes free," and 
maintained that right reason is to our understandings what 
the Spirit of God is to our hearts. El sabio muda consejo, 
el nescio no. His views of the gospel dispensation gradu- 
ally expanded, and thus modified, his former faith. On the 
evening of that day when he had taken a most decisive stand 
in the stormy debates which arose in the council, before the 
ordination of the Eev. Mr. Wisner over the Old South 
Church in Boston (1819), he proposed to me the following 
easy question : " Why will Mr. Wisner's creed be like 
a lighted candle ? " Answer. — " The longer it lives, 
the shorter it will be." Dr. Osgood might have taken 



D uuu " ix & J 



as 



his motto, Liceat concedere veris. His Catholicism was 
proverbial ; and he maintained until his death the friendly 
interchange of pulpits with both parties, after the Trini- 
tarian controversy of 1810 had commenced. He ever 
classed himself among those called " orthodox," — that is, Cal- 
vinistic, — and was consistent with his profession. He was 
tolerant without religious indifference, and candid without 
forgetting his rebuke of sin. An old and heretofore respect- 
ed member of the Medford church became " an infidel free- 
thinker," — rejecting the divine authority of Christ and 
the New Testament. Before the church proceeded to deal 
with him, Mr. Osgood wrote him a private letter as a friend. 
The letter is dated, " Medford, Sept. 10, 1798 ; " and, with 
his plain style and strong sense, he pleads with his erring 
brother as with a father, a citizen, a patriot, and a philanthro- 
pist. Among other ideas are these : — 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 245 

" At a time when infidelity and irreligion are sapping the foun- 
dations of civil society and overspreading the world with misery, 
and when the remains of Christianity among ourselves are confess- 
edly our strongest barrier against the general inundation, is it not 
astonishing that any good citizen, especially after he has professed 
himself a Christian, should become indifferent about preserving 
these precious remains ? The Searcher of hearts knows with what 
concern and grief I behold the defection of a friend whom I have so 
highly esteemed, and in whom I acknowledge there are many vir- 
tues and estimable qualities." 

To silence heretics by burning them, was as repugnant to 
Dr. Osgood's judgment as it was abhorrent to his feelings ; 
yet his Catholicism was discriminating. He had no taste for 
human appendages and fanciful theories in religion. Less 
sympathy still had he with those who philologize Jesus 
Christ out of the Old Testament, and philosophize him out of 
the New. He was a steady advocate of the doctrines 
of grace. He was neither for Aristotle nor Plato, neither 
for Paul nor Apollos, but for Christ. His faith in the 
divine authority of the Bible was peculiarly strong ; and he 
preached " Christ crucified, yea, risen again," with all 
the power he possessed. To state exactly the latitude and 
longitude of his theological opinions is perhaps impossible. 
The nearest approach to any exactness may be found in a 
conversation he had with a friend in 1819. He asked, " How 
far is it from here to Andover Institution ? " and was an- 
swered, " About seventeen miles." " How far is it from 
here to the Cambridge Theological Institution?" "About 
four miles." "Well," said he, "I have been thinking 
that is just about my theological position with regard to the 
two schools." It had always been our impression that he 
was nearer to Andover than his remark implied. He em- 
phatically forbade the publication of any of his controversial 
sermons ; and in the later part of his life he had so modified 
his views of the doctrine of total depravity, that he used, in 
private conversation, to relate a dream, the meaning of which 
may be summed up thus : " Men are wicked enough, but 
not totally depraved. Devils only are totally evil. In hell 
there are no barbers' shops ; no devil there dare trust his 
throat with another ; whereas men on earth do so trust each 
other safely." His principles of Christian toleration cannot 
be so well expressed as in his own words. They are as fol- 
lows : — v 



21G HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" Far be it from me to censure any of my brethren, who, after an 
equally honest and impartial inquiry, think in some respects differ- 
ent from me. Conscious of my liability to err, — from the infirmi- 
ties of nature, the prejudices of education, and the acknowledged 
difficulty, on various questions, of ascertaining the true sense of 
Scripture, — I hope never to withhold that charity from others 
which I claim for myself. ' Let every man be fully persuaded in 
his own mind,' clearly implies the right of every man to read and 
understand the Scriptures for himself, with no other responsibility 
than to God and his own conscience. Each of us ought to think 
and judge for himself, using the reason which God has given us in 
searching and studying his revealed will. A mind thus independent, 
an understanding thus unfettered and unawed by uninspired names, 
is honorary to a Christian, especially to a minister of Christ." 

While the subject of this notice was a granite man, not 
caring for " those soft parts of speech. " which give a needed 
charm to social courtesy, we find him honest and expansive 
in his theological creed. " The elevation of his character, 
and the unconquerable force of his will, gave him, in all 
councils and conventions of clergymen, an authority which 
few ventured to resist. The strongest sympathies of his 
heart, and the most intimate of his ministerial relations, were 
with the more liberal of his clerical brethren." 

Pastor. — As a pastor, Dr. Osgood was less among his 
flock than some others ; but his labors, prayers, and life were 
for the spiritual good of his people. There are those yet 
living who remember his kindness in seasons of sorrow ; who 
have seen him enter their dwelling with looks of sympathy, 
and with words that showed the wish, if not the power, to 
comfort ; yes, they have seen one, who to strangers appeared 
stern and unbending, melt into tenderness of look, of voice, 
and of manner, in the presence of bereavement. 

Dr. Osgood suffered less from illness than most men ; and 
never was a pulpit more uninterruptedly supplied by its 
occupant than his. He labored to the last week of his life. 
His dread of death was unaccountably great ; and through 
life he seemed subject to the bondage of this fear. But the 
angel came during a season of apparent insensibility, and life 
ceased Dec. 12, 1822. Thus, at the age of seventy -six, closed 
his ministry of more than forty-eight years. He baptized 
858 persons ; married 359 couples ; admitted to the church 
304 communicants ; and officiated at 990 funerals. 

Every arrangement for a public funeral which respect for 
their venerable pastor could suggest was made by the town ; 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 247 

and their Committee for the occasion were Messrs. Abner 
Bartlett, Jonathan Brooks, Thatcher Magoun, Turell Tufts, 
ancT^Duclley Hall. The funeral services were on Saturday, 
Dec. 14. The prayer was offered by President Kirkland ; 
and the sermon preached by Dr. Abiel Holmes, from 2 Tim. 
iv. G, 7. The pall-bearers were the Rev. Drs. Kirkland and 
Holmes, of Cambridge ; Ripley, of Concord ; Foster, of Brigh- 
ton ; Fiske, of West Cambridge ; and Homer, of Newton. 

The wife of Dr. Osgood died Jan. 7, 1818, aged seventy, 
and left behind the memorial of an amiable, intelligent, and 
pious woman. "The memory of the just is blessed." 

The incidents in the history of Dr. Osgood, not mentioned 
in the memoir, are few and unimportant. Among those of 
historic interest are the following : — 

" March 15, 1782 : At a meeting of the brethren of the church 
this day, the pastor proposed an alteration in the form of the cove- 
nant used at the admission of members ; to which they gave their 
unanimous consent. The form adopted is as follows : — 

" You do, in presence of the great God and this Christian assem- 
bly, profess your belief of the Holy Scriptures ; that they were 
given by the inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient rule of 
faith and practice. 

" You believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be the only Mediator 
between God and man, and Lord and Head of his church. Con- 
vinced that you are a guilty, condemned sinner, you desire to receive 
and submit to him in all those characters and offices with which he 
is invested for the benefit of the children of men. 

" You believe the Holy Spirit of God to be the Author of every 
spiritual and gracious disposition in the minds of men ; the Leader, 
Sanctifier, and Comforter of his people. Sensible of the depravity 
of the human heart, your own proneness to sin and inability to that 
which is good, you promise to seek his divine influence to form 
you to the temper of the gospel, and to make you meet for the 
inheritance of the saints in light. 

" You desire to give yourself up to God in an everlasting cove- 
nant never to be forgotten ; to be for him, and none other ; to love, 
serve, and obey him for ever. 

" You acknowledge this to be a true church of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and promise to walk with us in a due submission to and 
attendance upon all the ordinances of the gospel ; and that, relyino- 
upon divine aid, you will, in your whole conversation, make it your 
serious endeavor to conduct agreeably to the rules of our holy reli- 
gion and the profession you now make. Do you thus profess and 
promise ? " 

" April 2, 1792 : Voted to give ten pounds for the encou- 



348 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

ragement of singing for the year ensuing." This is the first 
vote of the kind found in our records. It was to pay a 
teacher. No one received money for sins^insr. It was deemed 
a privilege to aid in this part of public worship ; and is it not 
a privilege ? 

Xov. 24, 1793 : "The church agreed, that, for the future, 
after the candidates for full communion had stood propounded 
a fortnight without any objections against them, the pastor 
nii^ht then admit them without calling for a vote." 

The salary paid to Mr. Osgood at first was not increased 
for many years, except by the annual grant of twenty cords 
of wood. 

Sept. 19, 1796 : " Voted not to make him any grant, 
on account of the high prices of the necessaries of life." 

May 5, 180-4, the town made the first grant of two hun- 
dred dollars, under the head of " wood money ; " which sum 
was afterwards voted annually. The utmost, therefore, which 
he ever received was $533.33. This stransfelv contrasts with 
the sum of £5,500 paid for ministers' salaries in 1S55. He 
made no complaint ; although the number of taxable persons 
in his parish had more than doubled during his ministry, 
and their means of payment more than quadrupled. 

May 9, 1S0S : Voted '-eighty dollars for the encourage- 
ment of the singing." 

April 7, IS 17 : " Voted to grant seventy -five dollars to 
the ' Medford Amicable Singing Society,' to promote the 
objects of said society." 

Dr. Osgood kept a diary, beginning Jan 1. 1777, and end- 
ing Dec. 5, 1822. Through this long period he recorded, 
with marvellous brevity, the salient events of each day. The 
manuscript is preserved in his family. 

From its first settlement to 1823, Medford had been but 
one parish ; and, for the last hundred years, its two ministers 
experienced neither popular opposition nor social neglect ; 
and the people experienced neither sectarian strife nor 
clerical domination. Claiming free thought for himself, and 
encouraging it in his people, Dr. Osgood brought his parish 
quite up to his standard of liberality and progress. At his 
death, a large majority of the native inhabitants had quietly 
taken side with the Unitarians ; while many citizens, 
not born in the town, had as quietly taken side with the 
Trinitarians. That any creed could be written, or any 
minister elected, to suit these opposing parties, was the mis- 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 249 

taken conclusion drawn at the time. Both parties were 
well instructed, both were equally sincere, and both had cor- 
responding rights. By a law of the Commonwealth, any 
portion of a parish that seceded from the old society, resigned 
and sacrificed its legal rights in that parish by that act. As 
we shall have several streams of ecclesiastical history to 
trace after this date, we will begin with that of the First 
Parish. 



CHAPTER VII. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (CONTINUED). 
FIEST PARISH. 

After the death of Dr. Osgood, the eyes of so many were 
turned upon the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, that the Committee 
engaged him, March 25, 1823, to preach as a candidate.^ On 
the 5th of May in that year, the town voted to invite him to 
become their minister. Yeas, 95 ; nays, 70. Salary, eight 
hundred dollars. 

May 7, the church met ; his Excellency John Brooks, 
Chairman. Voted " to concur with the town in giving the 
Rev. Andrew Bigelow a call to settle over them in the gos- 
pel ministry." Yeas, 20 ; nays, 3. Committee of confer- 
ence : Nathaniel Hall, Jonathan Brooks, and Nathan Adams, 
Esqs. 

June 14, 1823, Mr. Bigelow accepted this invitation by a 
long and able letter, properly noticing a condition which, at 
a subsequent meeting, had been coupled with the first vote 
of the town. The condition was, that either party may dis- 
solve the connection by giving six months' notice to that 
effect. Mr. Bigelow, in his letter, says, "After a painful 
view of the subject, and a strong internal conflict, my conclu- 
sion is to accept the invitation." 

July 9, 1823, the ecclesiastical council, invited by the town 
and church to install the pastor elect, was composed of the 
following clergymen, with delegates: President Kirkland, 

32 



250 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Cambridge ; Dr. Abiel Holmes, Cambridge ; Dr. Thaddeus 
Fiske, West Cambridge ; Dr. John Foster, Brighton ; Dr. 
Charles Lowell, Boston ; Rev. Francis Parkman, Boston ; 
Rev. James Walker, Charlestown ; Rev. Aaron Greene, 
Maiden ; Dr. Aaron Bancroft, Worcester ; Dr. Ezra Ripley, 
Concord ; Rev. Convers Francis, Watertown ; and Rev. 
Charles Brooks, Hingham. 

The council met on this day. Rev. Dr. Ripley, Modera- 
tor ; and Rev. Mr. Francis, Scribe. After all the doings of 
the town and church relating to the call of Mr. Bigelow had 
been considered, and all other requisite inquiries had been 
made and answered, the record says, — 

" It was then moved, that the council, being satisfied with the 
doings of the church and society, and with the literary, moral, and 
theological qualifications of the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, do now vote 
that they are ready to proceed to installation. Before this motion 
was put, some discussion took place relative to the manner in which 
a dissolution of the pastoral tie (between the minister elect and 
people), should that event ever occur, should be conducted; and it 
was objected to by some members of the council, that nothing was 
provided in the terms of settlement respecting the calling, in the 
above event, an ecclesiastical council. Atter this discussion, the 
original motion was so far modified as to stand as follows : — 

" Voted, that though this council deem it expedient, in ordinary 
cases, that the separation of a minister from a people be the result 
of an ecclesiastical council, yet they are so far satisfied with the 
doings of the church and society, and with the qualifications of 
the candidate, that they are ready to proceed with the installation 
of the Rev. Andrew Bigelow as pastor of the church and congrega- 
tion in this town." 

The religious exercises were in the following order : 
Introductory prayer, by Rev. Charles Brooks ; sermon, by 
Rev. Dr. Bancroft ; prayer of installation, by Rev. Dr. 
Holmes ; charge, by Rev. Dr. Ripley ; right hand of fellow- 
ship, by Rev. James Walker ; concluding prayer, by Rev. 
Convers Francis ; benediction, by the pastor. 

These several services (the prayers excepted) were pub- 
lished together by a vote of the parish. 

Mr. Bigelow was bom in Groton, Mass., May 7, 1795, 
and graduated at Harvard College 1814. After studying 
law for a short time, he turned with his whole soul to the 
study of divinity, and spent some time at Edinburgh, Scot- 
land. May, 1820, he was ordained as an evangelist, and 
labored with zeal and success at Eastport, Maine, and at 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 251 

Gloucester, Mass. ; from which last place he married Miss 
Amelia Sargent Stanwood. 

Coming with reputation and experience to the work of the 
ministry in Medford, he did all that could be done for making 
the divided waters mingle in peace ; but, as irreconcilable 
differences of opinion were developed in the congregation, it 
was best that the dissentients should quietly withdraw, and 
provide for themselves a separate and satisfactory ministra- 
tion of the word. The first step in such a movement was 
taken by seventeen members of the church in writing and 
sending the following letter : — 

" Medford, Aug. 25, 1823. 

" Reverend and Beloved, — It becomes our painful duty, in the 
providence of God, differing as we do in our views of the essential 
doctrines of the gospel from what we believe to be the views and 
preaching of the Rev. Mr. Bigelow, to separate ourselves from the 
fellowship and communion of the church with which we now stand 
connected. Under these impressions, dear brethren, we, conscien- 
tiously and in the fear of God, ask letters, or a letter, of dismission, 
for the purpose of forming ourselves, in a regular manner, into a 
new and separate church. 

"And, while we deeply lament the necessity which we think 
exists for such a measure, we wish to adopt it from the sole desire 
of enjoying religious instructions which accord with our views of 
the system of truth laid down in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. 

"Asking your prayers, brethren, that we may be guided into all 
truth, we subscribe ourselves yours in the gospel, 



" Galen James. 
Jesse Crosby. 
Thomas Jameson. 
Gilbert Blanchard. 
Mart Clay. 
Hepzy Fitch. 
Nancy S. Fitch. 
Mary Magoun. 
Mary Blanchard. 



Elizabeth Bayley. 
Hannah G. Rogers. 
Ann Clay. 
Mary R. James. 
Mary Blanchard. 
Nancy Jameson. 
Hannah Crosby. 
Mary Kidder." 



The church received this short and respectful letter in the 
spirit in which it was written, and chose a committee of 
three to prepare a reply. The reply is long, argumentative, 
and affectionate ; and concludes, under deepest regret, to 
accede to the wishes of the petitioners, if they continue to 
desire separation. They renew their wish, and are accord- 
ingly released from all connection with the primitive church 
of Medford. So far as the records speak, we find nothing to 
condemn in this dismemberment of the ancient parish. Both 



252 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

parties were conscientious ; and, as they differed in opinion, 
they could not walk together in peace ; and therefore it was 
wise and Christian to separate. Much greater evils would 
have come under a forced union. The withdrawal of many 
members of the congregation, to join the new society, occa- 
sioned a less amount of complaint, exasperation, and contro- 
versy, on both sides, than is common. Both parties had 
equally in view justice and charity as Christian graces, 
and both wished to exhibit them to each other. To sup- 
pose that such sacred and durable ties can be sundered with- 
out exciting strong emotions and prompting to unreasonable 
speech, is to suppose that we are not human. The lightnings 
that flash and the thunders that roll may terrify for a moment ; 
but they release the rain, and purify the air, and make the 
earth more fruitful. God's will be done. 

In pursuing the history of the First Parish from this time, 
it will not be needful to speak of its connection with parishes 
subsequently formed, but only to record the facts arising out 
of its separate organization and private proceedings. 

March 31, 1824 : On this day, ten male members of the 
First Parish apply to James Russell, Esq., Justice of the 
Peace, to issue his warrant, directing some one of the peti- 
tioners to notify all the legal voters of said parish to meet in 
their meeting-house, April 12, 1824, at two o'clock, p.m., for 
the purpose of electing officers, raising money, and doing all 
other necessary acts. The warrant was issued, and the first 
meeting held at the time specified ; and Abner Bartlett, Esq., 
was chosen Clerk ; Messrs. Jonathan Brooks, John Symmes, 
Darius Wait, Nathan Adams, jun., and John King, Parish 
Committee ; Messrs. J. Richardson, John Howe, and Ebene- 
zer Hall, jun., Assessors ; William Ward, Esq., Treasurer. 

Thus the First Parish on this day became a separate body, 
under a legal organization. 

On this day also, " Voted to raise the sum of one thousand 
dollars, to discharge the minister's salary and other incidental 
charges the ensuing year." 

" July 27, 1823 : Voted by the church, that the ordinance 
of baptism be hereafter administered at the commencement of 
the afternoon service on the Lord's day, in place of being 
performed after sermon, as heretofore the practice has been." 
"July 27, 1823: The Hon. Peter C. Brooks presented 
to the church two silver flagons ; for which thanks were 
voted." 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 253 

Sept. 3, 1824 : The subject of a fund for the support of 
the gospel ministry is brought up and discussed by the 
church, and the wish expressed that one may be gathered. 

July 3, 1825 : The proposition to print the church cove- 
nant, and the covenant for baptism, brought up the considera- 
tion of that adopted Feb. 11, 1713, and that of March 15, 
1782 ; and the result was a vote by the church, that they 
" do not find it needful to propose any alterations in their 
confessions of faith, either in their articles or terms. They 
conceive that the church-covenant especially combines the 
qualities of a true Protestant as well as gospel confession ; 
the properties of being liberal and practical, yet deeply 
serious and evangelical." 

Dr. Osgood gave by will some valuable books to the 
church, " for the use of his successors in the ministry ; " and 
these are added to those received from his predecessor. 

Aug. 7, 1825 : The pastor proposed the formation of a 
parish and social library, and began with a donation. 

Sept. 4 : The proposition above was accepted, and a commit- 
tee of five brethren of the church and six members of the 
congregation was chosen to collect subscriptions and receive 
donations. 

Nov. 1, 1825 : The parish voted to procure an organ, if 
four hundred and fifty dollars can be raised by subsci'iption 
for that purpose. Committee to procure subscriptions : 
Messrs. George W. Porter, Turell Tufts, and Darius Wait. 
The organ was purchased for the amount, and gave satisfaction. 

Jan. 2, 1826 : Voted, that the money received from the 
sale of the new pews to be built in the gallery be the begin- 
ning of a permanent fund for the support of the ministry in 
said parish. 

In April of this year, the question arose respecting the 
right of the town to hold town-meetings in the meeting-house 
of the first parish ; the Selectmen contending for the right, 
the parish against it. 

About this time, subscriptions were commenced for the 
" Congregational Ministerial Fund for the First Parish in the 
town of Medford." By the judicious investments of the 
Treasurer, Dudley Hall, Esq., this fund amounts, in 1855, 
to $8,600. By special statute, one hundred dollars of the 
annual income must be added each year to the permanent 
fund. The balance of the incomes may be expended for the 
support of the pastor. 



254 HISTORY OF MEDFOKI). 

On the 9th of July and the 29th of October, 1826, the 
Rev. Andrew Bigelow preached sermons containing his rea- 
sons for giving the sixth months' notice previous to his 
dissolving his pastoral relations. Nov. 6 of the same year, 
he wrote a letter to his parish, repeating, — 

" That it was from no decay of attachment to the people of my 
pastoral charge, or of earnestness of desire to be instrumental in 
promoting the interests of piety and vital religion among them. . . . 
Being about to leave this country on a distant voyage, in the hope 
of fully re-establishing my health, I should be pleased to know the 
mind of the parish in respect to the mode of supplying the pulpit, 
and to obtain their concurrence to my proposed absence, prior to 
the expiration of the time of my connection with them as pastor. . . . 
And, should they come together, I beg you to present them the 
renewed assurances of my most grateful recollection of their past 
favors to me, along with my fervent aspirations that grace, mercy, 
and peace may be multiplied to them all." 

His request was immediately granted ; whereupon a reply 
was sent to Mr. Bigelow by the unanimous vote of the 
parish, in which they regret, for reasons stated, his relin- 
quishment of office, and say, — 

" We bear you witness, that, with true Christian forbearance and 
professional integrity, you have had your walk and conversation 
among us from the beginning, and that you have been the minister 
of much good to this people. ... In taking leave of you, Rev. Sir, 
we would most heartily reciprocate the sentiments expressed in 
your farewell discourse for our future prosperity and happiness." 

" Voted, that the Committee be directed to request of Mr. Bige- 
low a copy of the two discourses mentioned in his communication, 
as delivered on the 9th of July and 29th of October last, to be 
deposited among the parish records." 

Mr. Bigelow's connection with the parish legally ceased 
Jan. 9, 1827. Returning from Europe with recovered health, 
he became the minister of the Unitarian Society in Taunton, 
Mass., April 10, 1883, where he labored for many years. 
He is now filling a most useful clerical office in the city of 
Boston. The time, therefore, to speak of his character is not 
yet ; but we may quote the words of his successor in Med- 
ford, whose opportunities for learning the facts were pecu- 
liarly great. He writes thus : — 

* " My regard to his feelings need not prevent my bearing testi- 
mony to the deep regret of his people that any circumstances 
should, in his opinion, have made a separation from them desirable. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 255 

He left behind him many aching hearts, and many warm friends, 
who will not forget how he labored among them as ' a good minister 
of Jesus Christ ' in all faithfulness and love." 

Mr. Blgelow baptized 66 persons ; married 37 couples ; 
officiated at 105 funerals ; and admitted 26 communicants to 
the church. 

The parish-committee, consisting of Messrs. John Symmes, 
Jonathan Brooks, and John King, engage Mr. Caleb Stetson, 
a graduate of Harvard College in 1822, to preach as a candi- 
date for five sabbaths. At the close of his engagement, the 
parish passed the following votes : — 

Jan. 8, 1827 : " Voted unanimously to give Mr. Caleb Stetson 
an invitation to settle with us as our minister in the gospel. 

" Voted unanimously to give Mr. Stetson one thousand dollars 
salary. 

" Voted to give Mr. Stetson one thousand dollars over and above 
his salary, to be paid on the day of his settlement with us ; which 
sum has been raised by subscription for that purpose." 

Jan. 16 : Mr. Stetson accepts the invitation, and on the 28th 
of February, 1827, was ordained. The council was com- 
posed of the following clergymen, with their delegates : Rev. 
Dr. Kirkland and Dr. Ware, Cambridge; Dr. Holmes, 
Cambridge ; Dr. Lowell, Boston ; Eev. Aaron Greene, Mai- 
den ; Rev. Henry Ware, Boston ; Rev. James Walker, 
Charlestown; Rev. Convers Francis, Watertown; Rev. Jo- 
seph Field, Weston; Rev. George Ripley, Boston; Rev. 
Samuel Ripley, Waltham ; Dr. Fiske, West Cambridge; 
Rev. Charles Brooks, Hingham ; Rev. Francis Parkman, 
Boston; Dr. Foster, Brighton; Rev. Thomas B. Gannett, 
Cambridgeport ; Rev. Bernard Whitman, Waltham; Rev. 
Charles Briggs, Lexington; Rev. Edward B. Hall, North- 
ampton ; Rev. Ira H. T. Blanchard, Harvard. 

In the organization of the council, Rev. President Kirkland 
was chosen Moderator; and Rev. Charles Brooks, Scribe. 
After the usual religious services, the council examined the 
doings of the church and congregation relative to the disso- 
lution of the pastoral relation of Rev. Andrew Bigelow, and 
found them regular. They next examined the doings of the 
church and congregation relative to the call of Mr. Stetson, 
and found them satisfactory ; whereupon they voted to pro- 
ceed to ordination. The services were assigned as follows : 
Introductory prayer and reading of the Scriptures, by Rev. 



256 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

Charles Briggs ; sermon, by Rev. Convers Francis ; ordain- 
ing prayer, by Dr. Lowell ; charge, by Dr. Kirkland ; right 
hand of fellowship, by Rev. George Ripley ; address to the 
people, by Rev. Henry "Ware, jun. ; concluding prayer, by 
Rev. B. Whitman ; benediction, by the pastor. 

Copies of the within exercises were requested for publica- 
tion, but were declined. 

"March 14, 1827: In the church, voted, first, that the ceremony 
of owning the covenant, on the admission of members, shall, in 
future, be before the church only, at the communion. Second, that 
the fourth paragraph of the present covenant-be hereafter discon- 
tinued in the admission of members. Third, that the pastor have 
discretionary authority to admit members from other churches, of 
whose Christian standing he is satisfied, without any public act." 

" Dec. 2, 1827 : The church voted that the Lord's Supper should 
be celebrated on the first sabbath of every other month." 

"June 11, 1832 : The church voted that the pastor, at his discre- 
tion, be authorized to receive persons into this church at a private 
interview ; and that no public act shall be necessary to their mem- 
bership, except propounding them in the usual form." 

" 1827 : Deacon Richard Hall bequeathed to this church the 
sum of seven hundred dollars, the interest of which should for ever 
be distributed among the poor women of this church." 

"April 25, 1827 : The parish voted to raise twelve hundred dol- 
lars, to pay the minister's salary and other current expenses." 

At the same meeting, voted to introduce the " Cambridge 
Collection " of hymns in place of Dr. "Watts's ! 

April 30, 1832 : The subject of building a parsonage- 
house was discussed in a parish-meeting, and resolutions to 
build were passed, and three thousand dollars voted as the 
highest sum to be raised on the credit of the parish. After 
plans and wishes on both sides had been proposed and 
argued, that Christian benefactor, who " does good by stealth 
and blushes to find it fame," offered a piece of land, as a gift 
to the parish, for the site of a parsonage. The parish accord- 
ingly voted " a formal acceptance of the very generous offer of 
Dr. Daniel Swan, which they esteem doubly valuable from 
the amiable and accommodating spirit in which it has been 
thus promptly made." 

The committee chosen to build the house were Messrs. 
Abner Bartlett, Peter C. Brooks, and Jonathan Brooks, 
Esqs. It was built immediately, at the cost of $3,824.05, 
and was acceptable to pastor and people. 

Fund. — This subject was a cherished one by a few earnest 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 257 

members of the parish ; and, at a public meeting on the 24th 
of March, 1834, a committee report, " that they find the act 
incorporating trustees passed the 9th of March, 1827 ; and 
it appears that Messrs. Jonathan Brooks, Nathaniel Hall, 
Turell Tufts, Dudley Hall, Nathan Adams, John Symmes, 
jun., and Jonathan Porter, were incorporated trustees by the 
said act." 

These originators of the fund performed the duties of 
trustees with judgment and perseverance ; and the result is, 
that the fund now amounts to $8,600. 

April 17, 1837: The parish voted "to raise $1,400, to 
pay the minister's salary and other current expenses." 

March 11, 1839: A committee of seven was appointed 
this day to consider the expediency of building a new meet- 
ing-house, and to procure plans and estimates. They finally 
recommended the erection of a wooden house ; and on the 
2d of April, 1839, the parish passed the following vote : 
" That the present house be taken down, and a new one built 
on the same spot in its stead, not to exceed in cost the sum 
of $12,000." The building-committee were Messrs. Samuel 
P. Heywood, Andrew Blanchard, jun., George W. Porter, 
Samuel Lapham, and Milton James, Esqrs. 

Whether the parish had learned wisdom from former times 
or not, we cannot tell ; but surely the unanimity and hearti- 
ness seen in these movements evince solid judgment and 
Christian character. Three judicious and disinterested gentle- 
men were chosen, from towns adjacent, to apprize the pews 
in the old meeting-house ; and they performed their duty 
acceptably, — not awarding over twenty dollars to the best 
pews. The parish took leave of the old house on Sunday, 
May 12, 1839 ; on which occasion the pastor delivered a 
valedictory discourse from 1 Chron. xvii. 1. This sermon 
was printed ,• and no one, whose early years were associated 
with that sacred edifice, can read the conclusion of that dis- 
course without a throbbing heart and a tearful eye. 

As soon as the first parish had voted to take down the 
old meeting-house, the second Congregational Society and 
the Universalist Society offered the use of their meeting- 
houses to the first parish at such times as would be mutually 
convenient. We love to record these acts of Christian cour- 
tesy ; for they were, in this case, offerings of the heart. 

The building-committee were instructed to procure a new 
organ ; and they say that the donation of $1,000, by the Hon. 

33 



258 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Peter C. Brooks, has helped them to secure a first-rate instru- 
ment, at the price of $1,650. The cost of the meeting-house 
and vestry was $12,566.22 ; of two furnaces, $220 ; repairs 
on clock, $224 ; carpets and pulpit trimmings, &c, $591.72; 
work on the grounds, &c, $195.69; making a sum total of 
$13,797.63. The parish paid the proprietors of pews in the 
old meeting-house $1,260, and received for said house $260. 
That the new house was larger than was needed, was a com- 
mon impression ; but the time may come when it will be 
crowded. 

It was solemnly dedicated to the worship of God and the 
promulgation of Christianity on Wednesday, the 4th of De- 
cember, 1839. The exercises were : Introductory prayer, by 
Rev. Nathaniel Hall, of Dorchester ; selection from the Scrip- 
tures, by Rev. Edward B. Hall, of Providence, R.I. ; prayer 
of dedication, by Rev. Convers Francis, D.D., of Watertown ; 
sermon, by Rev. Caleb Stetson ; concluding prayer, by Rev. 
N. L. Frothingham, of Boston. It was the intention of the 
pastor and people that the original hymns and all the public 
religious services (except the sermon) should have been fur- 
nished, as the record says, " by children of this society." It 
would have been so, had not the writer of this history been 
absent with his family in Europe. 

The preacher took 1 Cor. iii. 16 for his text. Worship 
was his subject ; and it was discussed with the power 
and beauty peculiar to the speaker. The opening sen- 
tences disclose the central thoughts of the sermon. " The 
soul that makes an offering is greater than the gift. No sa- 
crifice is so noble as the spirit that hallows it ; no house built 
by human hands, for the service of God, is so holy as that 
which he hath chosen and sanctified for himself in every 

pure heart." 

" O Thou that dost prefer 
Before all temples the upright heart and pure." 

Thus, on a spot sacred to many of our hearts, stands a se- 
cond temple of the Most High, whose desk, we devoutly hope, 
will ever be filled with able scholars and true believers ; 
who, as teachers, shall " preach, not themselves, but the Lord 
Jesus Christ, so as to make men wise unto salvation ; " and 
who, as pastors, shall delight " to take the lambs in their 
arms, and carry them in their bosoms." Especially do we 
hope that its seats may ever be filled by those who hunger 
and thirst after God and Christ and truth and righteous- 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 259 

ness ; who will labor for temperance, liberty, and peace ; and 
who will not allow heaven-born, free inquiry to degenerate 
into licentiousness, nor Christian devotion to freeze into for- 
malism. 

According to the New England usage, the pews were sold 
at auction, after a committee had apportioned upon them a 
relative value, sufficient to cover the cost of the house, vestry, 
&c. Those pews which were leased by the parish paid seven 
per cent on their apprized value. On the sale of the pews, a 
premium was given for the right of choice. The amount ac- 
cruing from the sale of seventy-one pews was $12,397. There 
were several small items not here noticed. The final balance 
against the parish was $2,024.47. In the last report of the 
committee are these words : " Your committee have much 
pleasure in being able to congratulate the parish on the 
entire success with which this enterprise has been accom- 
plished, and the good effects that have resulted from it." 

The church has long enjoyed the counsel and services of 
John Symmes and Nathan Adams, Esqrs., as deacons. 

March 4, 1840 : " Voted to exchange the hymn-book 
now in use for Rev. Mr. Greenwood's selection." 

There are few parishes in New England which have had 
no trouble with their Sunday choir. Singers are dangerously 
sensitive, and not always blamable, as some imagine. Their 
popularity and success depend very often upon popular taste 
and fickle fashion ; therefore all their feelers are out to discover 
what people think of them. The poet and painter, depend- 
ing measurably on the same principles of taste and fashion, 
are subjected to similar influences. The conflict between 
rival singers is peculiarly fierce ; and what committee-man, . 
who has " had the care of the singing," has not found that he 
must sometimes deal with the parish choir very much as he 
must with sick children ? That Medford has had some of 
these jarring experiences, is most true; and it is as true that 
it has enjoyed a general exemption. The first parish has 
owned generous hearts and sweet voices, who have given 
their services freely ; and the organ has been played gratui- 
tously for years by a gentleman of taste and education. 

It was customary with our early ancestors to appoint an 
individual from the church to read the psalm, two lines at a 
time ; after which reading, the whole congregation sang the 
two lines. The reading was so commonly done by a deacon, 
that this mode of announcing the psalm was called " deacon- 



260 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

ing " it. The scarcity of psalm-books was the origin of this 
custom ; and, when they became so common as to be left in 
the meeting-house through the week, the proposition to dis- 
continue the " deaconing " of the psalm was made, and it 
met with quick opposition from the deacons and readers. 
The habit continued till the Revolution. It is related of the 
earliest days among us, that one line only was read at a 
time, but that this custom gave place to the reading of two 
lines from the following fact. In the psalm, which the cler- 
gyman had selected to be " deaconed " and sung, occurred 
these two lines : — 

" The Lord will come ; and he will not 
Keep silence, but speak out." 

By making a full stop at the end of the first line, very queer 
work was made with the sense of the poem. Affirmation and 
contradiction came solemnly into the same breath ; but even 
this bewilderment was deepened by reading the second line : 
"Keep silence, but speak out." 

April 27, 1846 : The subject of congregational singing 
was brought before the parish by a committee, who discussed 
the topic well, and recommended " all the members of the 
congregation to join the choir." We trust that the intro- 
duction of music into all our public and private schools will 
soon restore congregational heart-and-voice singing to our 
churches (a mode so piously adopted by our fathers) ; and 
this will put an end to that impious mockery of devotion, 
now sometimes witnessed, where infidel and licentious opera- 
singers are hired to conduct this beautiful part of sacred wor- 
ship. 

The antislavery excitement had been conscientiously car- 
ried into many pulpits, and, in some parishes, had caused 
durable alienations between minister and people. The first 
parish in Medford felt somewhat the flux and reflux of the 
troubled waters. Fiat justitia, ruat ccelum. 

April 19, 1847: "Voted to raise $1,700, by tax, for the 
support of public worship and the current expenses of the 
ensuing year." On the same day, "Voted to raise, in like 
manner, three hundred dollars, for the reduction of the parish 
debt." 

Dec. 7, 1847 : Rev. Mr. Stetson having fallen from the 
sidewalk in Main Street, and much injured himself, the 
parish met, and passed the following vote : " To take measures 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



261 



for the supply of his pulpit during his confinement, without 
trouble or expense to him." 

The parish expenses were as follows : In 1825, $1,208.16 ; 
in 1830, $1,235.35 ; in 1840, $1,701.24 ; in 1845, $2,348.01 ; 
in 1850, $1,523.21. 

The change of the law in Massachusetts respecting the 
support of ministers, and the consequent change of action in 
some parishes, had produced fatal results. One statute pro- 
vides thus : " No person shall hereafter be made a member 
of any parish or religious society without his consent in 
writing." The inhabitants of Medford were not exempt from 
the operation of these and similar causes. The Committee 
of the first parish saw their activity ; and when Mr. Stetson 
resigned his office of pastor, March 24, 1848, they say, in 
reply to his short and touching letter, that the parish, " under 
this state of things, must very soon become impotent for the 
fulfilment of its original contract by any legal form of taxa- 
tion." They do not separate from their beloved minister 
without expressing their deep gratitude for his long and ac- 
ceptable services. Their letter to him ends with these words : 

" With sucli impressions of the character of your great ministry, 
accept, dear sir, assurances of our affectionate regard and sincere 
wishes for the happiness and prosperity of yourself and family." 

During his ministry of twenty-one years, Mr. Stetson bap- 
tized 210 persons ; married 143 couples ; admitted to the 
church 106 communicants ; and officiated at 304 funerals. 

He was very soon invited to settle as the minister of the 
Unitarian Society in South Scituate, near Kingston, his native 
town in the Old Colony ; and as he is there now laboring, 
with his warm heart and ready hand, the time to speak of his 
character has not yet come. May it be far distant ! But, 
when society shall lose him, there will not be wanting pens 
to note his various learning, to describe his brilliant conver- 
sation, to honor his large philanthropy, and record his mini- 
sterial faithfulness. 

The time had now come, as it was thought, to abandon the 
former mode of raising parish taxes by assessments on polls 
and property. After much conference and reflection, the 
parish resort to the system of voluntary contributions ! A 
paper, therefore, is offered to each individual, annually, with 
the following preamble and obligation : — 

" We, the subscribers, in order to testify our wish to be consi- 



262 HISTOKY OF MEDFOIID. ^ 

dered members of the first parish in Medford for the present year, 
do hereby agree to pay to the collector of said parish the sum of 
money which is set against our names, towards the support of pub- 
lic worship in said parish the present year." 

This temporary and precarious provision for the support of 
God's worship and the spread of Christianity does not sound 
much like those iron-bound resolves of our pious ancestors, 
wherein life and property were for ever dedicated to God 
and to his church. Whether "the voluntary system," as 
adopted in New England, is or is not a failure, is with some 
no longer a question. 

April 9, 1849 : " Voted, unanimously, to give Rev. George 
W. Briggs, of Plymouth, an invitation to settle with us as 
our minister in the gospel." $1,200 salary. April 15, Mr. 
Briggs communicated his refusal in a short and satisfactory 
letter. 

" June 11, 1849 : Voted that the parish vote by yeas and 
nays on the motion to extend an invitation to the Rev. John 
Pierpont to settle with them in the ministry for one year, 
with a salary of one thousand dollars, — provided the con- 
nection be dissolved on either side by giving a previous 
notice of six months. Yeas, 25 ; nays, 24." 

June 25, 1849 : The above vote was amended so as to 
read as follows : — 

" That this parish do extend to the Rev. John Pierpont an invi- 
tation to become its pastor on a salary of one thousand dollars a 
year, — payable by quarterly yearly payments, — and with the 
understanding and agreement that either of said parties may put 
an end to the connection by giving to the other party six months' 
notice, in writing, of his or their intention so to do." 

July 9, 1849 : At a meeting of the parish this day, the 
following was introduced and voted : — 

" Resolved, that, in view of the history of this parish, its present 
condition, and its future prospects, it is regarded as inexpedient, and 
hazardous to our best interests as a Christian church, for our pastor 
to preach any political abolition sermons or discourses in our 
pulpit on the sabbath." 

This vote was interpreted by some as "limiting the topics 
upon w r hich the pastor is to be at liberty to treat in the pul- 
pit." This, however, was disclaimed by the friends of the 
resolution. On the 23d of July, the vote was unanimously 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 263 

rescinded. Then other resolutions were introduced, but no 
final action had upon them. 

Finding the parish so nearly divided in their vote of invi- 
tation, the friends of the pastor elect began to collect the sig- 
natures of those members of the parish who were not present 
when the vote was taken, and who were in favor of giving 
the call. Twenty-six legal voters signed ; twenty-one refused 
to act, and therefore are not counted on either side ; ten per- 
sons, not legal voters, who considered themselves as belong- 
ing to the parish, subscribed ; and four of those who voted 
in the negative. After anxious and patient weighing of the 
whole matter, with the assistance of friends, Mr. Pierpont 
accepted the invitation, July 5, 1849. 

July 9, seven gentlemen were appointed a committee " to 
communicate with Mr. Pierpont on the subject of his settle- 
ment, and for conducting and making arrangements for his 
installation." « This committee report, April 8, 1850, as fol- 
lows : — 

"At a meeting of the special committee of the first parish of 
Medford, appointed, July 9, 1849, to make arrangements with the 
Rev. John Pierpont for the commencement of his pastoral labors in 
its pulpit, on conference with the pastor and with his concurrence, — 

" Voted to dispense with the ceremony of an ecclesiastical coun- 
cil for the installation of our pastor. 

"Voted that the committee hereby ordain the Rev. John Pier" 
pont to become the pastor of the first parish of Medford, and 
install him in that office. 

" Voted that the term of his engagement commence on the first 
day of August, 1849, and his salary be paid to him from that date, 
quarterly, as provided in the terms of the vote of his election to the 
office of pastor of this parish. 

" Voted to accept the report of the committee." 

Having thus brought down the ecclesiastical history of the 
first parish, through all its changes, to the ministry of its 
present pastor, common usage requires that I here take leave 
of it. It has been my constant endeavor to record the impor- 
tant events in each ministry as I found them in the records 
of the town and parish. That some representative facts may 
have escaped my notice, is quite possible; and that undue 
stress is laid upon some of the facts which I have noted, is 
equally possible. I can only say, that I have wished to give 
a perfect daguerreotype likeness of every feature of the his- 
tory. 



264 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

In looking back through two hundred years, I can safely 
say, that Medford has not had more than its share of religious 
trials ; and that, under them, it has borne itself with intelli- 
gence, dignity, and moderation. If the troubles of two cen- 
turies be gathered into the mind in one cluster, they seem to 
be many and great ; but, when historically distributed over 
so long a period, they are few and far between. The ques- 
tions in Medford which excited the deepest interest, and 
sometimes called out the warmest words, were those relating 
to the location of a new meeting-house ; the terms of the 
minister's settlement, and the amount of his salary ; the 
assessment of taxes ; the changing value of money, and 
the modes of raising it ; the alteration of a creed ; and the 
freedom of the pulpit. Of all these I felt myself called 
upon to be recorder, and not judge; and therefore have 
given the facts, without obtruding my private opinion. 

A few words concerning Sunday schools, and this particu- 
lar history closes. Since 1820, Sunday schools have multiplied 
greatly in New England, and books and manuals for them 
have abounded. The first parish early followed the auspi- 
cious good examples, and established a school, which had its 
superintendent ; also a teacher to each six children ; and a 
juvenile library, accessible to all the pupils. This school has 
had the best instructors ; and so deep has grown the interest 
in Sunday schools and in the other schools of New England, 
that ours is called the " children's age." It was believed they 
were needed, because parents did not sufficiently inculcate 
Christian doctrine and morals in their families, nor did the 
ministers communicate much juvenile instruction, nor could 
the public schools. There are no scales that can weigh 
moral effects ; but there can be no doubt that the salutary 
influences of Sunday schools have been immense. The 
whole force of the common-school system being directed to 
unfold and sharpen the intellect mainly, moral culture in 
them is only incidental. A consequence is, a most dispro- 
portionate development of mere intellect ; as if the aim of 
life was to empower a child to gain money and secure office. 
The consequence of this is, that the community becomes 
filled with men whose extensive knowledge, acute reason, 
boundless ambition, and unscrupulous selfishness, make them 
leaders in public plunder and commercial infidelity. The 
more enlightened the intellect becomes, unguided by con- 
science, the more adroit it makes the villain. Mere secular 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 265 

instruction is no security against crime ; therefore the Sun- 
day school came to the relief and rescue of society when it 
maintained that something more was necessary to make men 
good than to make them intelligent. It taught that the affec- 
tions are the source of happiness; and it endeavored to 
develop the moral powers, so as to introduce God and Christ 
and truth and heaven as permanent occupants of the soul. 
If it be true that the acquisition of mere science and litera- 
ture imparts no adequate power to subdue vicious habit or 
restrain criminal passion, but often gives keenness to their 
edge and certainty to their aim, it follows, as a solemn conse- 
quence, that every patriot, philanthropist, and Christian, is 
sacredly bound to patronize the Sunday school. 

The "communion plate" belonging to the First Church 
has its history, which is as follows : — 

Two silver cups, bought by the church in 1719. 
One „ „ gift of Mrs. Sarah Ward, 1725. 
One „ „ „ Deacon Thomas Willis. 

Two „ „ „ Mr. Francis Leathe, 1742. 

One „ „ „ Thomas Brooks, Esq., 1759. 

One large silver tankard, with a cover,— gift of Rev. Ebenezer 
Turell, 1760. 

One smaller silver tankard, with a cover, — gift of Francis and 
Mary Whitmore, 1761. 

One large, open, silver can, — gift of Hon. Isaac Royal 1781. 

One silver dish, — gift of Hon. Isaac RoyaL 1789. 

0n e „ „ „ Deacon Richard Hall, 1814. 

Two „ cups, „ Mr. William Wyman, 1815. 

Two „ flagons, „ Hon. P. C. Brooks, 1823. 

One „ dish, „ Mr. David Bucknam, 1824. 

One antique silver cup ; donor and date unknown. 

One silver spoon ; „ „ „ n 

Two silver cans, — gift of Turell Tufts, Esq., 1842. 

Previously to 1759, there were the following: — 

One pewter flagon, — gift of Hon. John Usher. 

One „ „ rt Deacon John Whitmore. 

Four „ „ bought by the church. 

Two „ dishes, — gift of Thomas Tufts, Esq. ; and two pew- 
ter ones, bought by the church. 

One silver baptismal basin, — gift of Mr. John Willis, 1755. 

Colonel RoyaJ. gave a silver cup to the church in Medford; 
but, he being an absentee, suspected of not liking the Amer- 
can revolution, his agent could not deliver the cup without 
legislative authority. The following public document will 
sufficiently explain itself: — 

34 



266 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

"COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

'•In Senate, Oct. 26, 1781. 

" On the petition of David Osgood, pastor of the church of Christ 
in Medford, in behalf of said church : — 

" Resolved, That, for the reason therein mentioned, the agent of the 
estate of Isaac Royal, Esq., late of Medford, an absentee, be, and is 
hereby, directed to deliver a certain silver cup, referred to in the 
said petition, belonging to the said absentee's estate, to the said 
David Osgood, for the use of the church in Medford, agreeably to 
the prayer of the said petition, and take a receipt for the same. 

" Sent down for concurrence. 

" Samuel Adams, President. 

"In the House of Representatives, Oct. 27, 1781. 
" Read and concurred. Nathaniel Gorham, Speaker. 

"Approved. John Hancock. 

" A true copy. 
"Attest, John Avert, Sec." 

«< Medford, Nov. 6, 1781. 
" Received of Simon Tufts, Esq., agent for the estate of Isaac 
Royal^ Esq., an absentee, the silver cup mentioned in the above 
order of court. David Osgood." 

By a resolve of the church, in 1824, the pewter dish was 
sold, and a silver one purchased, — thus making the furniture 
of the table entire and appropriate. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Rev. Aaron Porter, Settled Feb. 11, 1713. Died Jan. 23, 1722. 



Ebenezer Turell, 
David Osgood. 
Andrew Bigelow, 
Caleb Stetson, 
John Pierpont, 



Nov. 25, 1724. „ Dec. 8, 1778. 

Sept. 14, 1774. „ Dec. 12, 1822. 

July 9, 1823. Resigned Jan. 9, 1827. 

Feb. 28, 1827. „ Mar. 24, 1848. 

Aug. 1, 1849. 



Desiring that full justice should be done to the history of 
each religious society in the town, I gave public notice in 
1853, that whatever account should be furnished of any so- 
ciety, by its pastor or committee, should be inserted in these 
pages. The following notices have been sent, and they are 
accordingly printed without alteration ; and I have only to 
wish they had been more ample in details. It should be 
recorded of all the religious societies of Medford, that they 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 267 

live together in peace. All of them are faithful in laboring 
for the same great and holy end, — the salvation of souls ; and 
from my inmost heart I wish them all prosperity. 

SECOND CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY. 

Early in June, 1823, after the death of Rev. David Osgood, 
and soon after the settlement of Rev. Andrew Bigelow as 
pastor of the first church, it appeared that the members of 
the church entertained different views of Christian doctrines ; 
whereupon several members applied respectfully for letters of 
dismission, and began to meet by themselves for the worship 
of God. In their letters addressed to the church, they dis- 
claim personal unfriendliness, and base their action solely on 
the ground of different views of the gospel ; particularly, as 
they say, " respecting the doctrines of the Trinity, the native 
character of man, the divinity and atonement of Christ, re- 
generation, and others allied to these." 

The following is the closing extract from their request : — 

" Under these impressions, dear brethren, we, conscientiously and 
in the fear of God, ask from the church letters of dismission, for the 
purpose of forming ourselves, in a regular manner, into a new and 
separate church ; and while we deeply lament the necessity, which 
we think exists, for such a measure, we wish to adopt it from the 
sole desire of enjoying religious instruction which accords with our 
views of the system of truth laid down in the gospel of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ." 

The following is the closing extract of the reply of the 
church, after some reasoning and remonstrance : — 

" We shall then feel ourselves compelled in conscience, on the 
principles we have avowed (viz., privilege to determine our own 
religious convictions), to allow the liberty you ask. In such case, 
painful as the severance is, it will still meet with our sanction ; and, 
should your purpose remain unchanged, we formally consent by this 
our letter. 

« In conclusion, permit us to assure you, that, whether in union 
with or separated from us, we shall ever cherish a lively and affec- 
tionate solicitude for your spiritual and immortal welfare. We 
wish you grace, mercy, and peace from our common Lord. It is 
our hearts' desire, that, whatever new relations you may mutually 
form, you may be edified therein, and may be built up in the most 
holy faith ; and we implore of the Lord, that both we and you, and 
all his people, may glorify him with that holiness which becomes 
his house for ever." 



268 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



On the 20th of June, 1823, a public meeting was held, and 
a new society formed, called " The Second Congregational 
Society of Medford." After the following sabbath, the 
members of the new society fitted up a hall in the neighbor- 
hood as a temporary place of worship, and their members 
gradually increased. 

Their pulpit was supplied by neighboring clergymen, and 
from the Theological Seminary in Andover, till Oct. 2; 
when seventeen members from the first church, with nine 
members of other churches who had removed lately to Med- 
ford, bringing with them letters of dismission, were organized 
into a church by an ecclesiastical council, of which Rev. 
William Greenough, of Newton, was chosen Moderator ; and 
Rev. B. B. Wisner, of Boston, Scribe. 

The names of the original members were as follows (the 
seventeen first mentioned coming from the first church of 
Medford, the others from abroad) : — 

Galen James, Jesse Crosby, Thomas Jameson, Gilbert 
Blanchard, Mary Clay, Hephsibah Fitch, Nancy Fitch, Mary 
Magoun, Mary Blanchard, Elizabeth Baily, Harriet G. 
Rogers, Ann Clay, Mary R. James, Mary Blanchard, 2d, 
Nancy Jameson, Hannah Crosby, Mary Kidder, James For- 
sayth, Nathaniel Jaquith, Thompson Kidder, Thomas Pratt, 
John T. White, Jennet Forsayth, Phebe Pratt, Cynthia 
White, Lucy Blanchard. 

An act incorporating the new society passed the Legisla- 
ture, Feb. 21, 1824, and measures were adopted for the 
erection of a house of worship ; which, when completed, was 
dedicated to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Sept. 1, 1824 ; 
and, at the time of the dedication, Rev. Aaron Warner, who 
had labored with acceptance nearly from the time of the or- 
ganization of the church, was installed its first pastor. 

His ministry of eight years was eminently successful. 
There were many accessions to the congregation, and above 
a hundred additions to the church, in which his memory is 
most affectionately cherished. 

He was dismissed at his own request, on account of infirm 
health in his family, Oct. 2, 1832. 

His successor was Rev. Gordon Winslow ; ordained June, 
12, 1833, and dismissed Nov. 12, 1834. 

After him, Rev. Levi Pratt was installed pastor, Aug. 19, 
1835, who died of fever, in the midst of his labors, much 
lamented, Aug. 9, 1837. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 269 

The next pastor was Rev. A. R. Baker, who was ordained 
April 25, 1838. 

During his ministry, several precious seasons of revival 
were enjoyed, the church and congregation increased, and 
larger accommodations in the house of worship became neces- 
sary. From this time, Zion's children began to say, in pro- 
phetic language, " Give us room, that we may dwell ; " and 
the church became, in an important sense, the mother of 
churches. Besides furnishing members from time to time 
for the organization of several evangelical churches of other 
denominations, in July, 1847, she sent out a strong colony, 
sixty in number, to form the Mystic church of Medford, 
now a flourishing society. 

Mr. Baker, after an efficient and successful ministry of 
over ten years, was dismissed by the decision of an ecclesias- 
tical council in September, 1848. 

For several years after, the church was without a settled 
pastor, passing through more than usual trials incident to 
such a condition; until, Feb. 25, 1852, Rev. E. P. Marvin, 
who had been supplying the desk for six months previous, 
was installed pastor. Under his labors, the society has re- 
gained more than its former peace and prosperity. 

In the spring of 1853, they harmoniously renewed their 
church edifice, — replacing the desk with an elegant modern 
one, and the pews with those more commodious and plea- 
sant ; and, by painting and furnishing tastefully, they have 
rendered their church one of the most appropriate and plea- 
sant places of religious worship. The members of the church 
now number about 170 or 180 ; and, as they look back at 
their former experience, they are ready, no doubt, to adopt 
the language of devout Samuel : " Hitherto hath the Lord 
helped us." 

UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. 

This society was formed March 10, 1831. The meeting- 
house was built in 1832, and completed Aug. 10th of that year. 
The desk was supplied by transient preachers till the follow- 
ing spring. In April, the Rev. Mr. Winslow W. Wright 
was installed as pastor. He resigned in April, 1835, on 
account of ill health. Rev. Joseph Banfield was soon settled 
as his successor, but resigned in 1838. Dr. Hosea Ballou 
was settled in April, 1838. The meeting-house was remo- 



270 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

delled and enlarged in 1850. The society was kindly invited 
by the Unitarian parish to use their house for worship while 
the repairs were making. This invitation was accepted. 
Rev. Dr. Ballou, having been called to the Presidency of 
Tufts's College, resigned in August, 1853 ; and, in April, 
1854, the present pastor, G. V. Maxham, was ordained. 

The church was organized Jan. 19, 1834 ; at which time 
twenty -three persons joined it. 

This is the only society of this denomination which has 
been gathered in Medford. It has great prosperity ; and its 
Sunday school contains, on an average, one hundred and fifty 
pupils. 

METHODIST SOCIETY. 

In the year 1843, no Methodist Episcopal church existed 
in this place. Some twelve or fifteen individuals, members 
of that denomination, connected either with a church in 
Charlestown or the one in Maiden, were accustomed to meet 
each week and hold a class-meeting, which was conducted by 
one of their number who had been appointed leader. 

During the winter of 1843-4, Rev. J. W. Whitman, sta- 
tioned at Maiden, and whose circuit included this town also, 
preached several times, in a small building, to attentive con- 
gregations ; and, the Holy Spirit accompanying his earnest 
endeavors, a gracious revival was the result, and about sixty 
individuals were brought under a saving religious influence. 
In the spring of 1844, " Father Pickering," a veteran soldier 
of our Lord, was stationed, by the New England Conference, 
at this place. With true apostolic zeal, he organized a church, 
gathered the trembling ones within the fold, and, by his 
heavenly teachings, led them on to more perfect .trust and 
confidence in Christ. During this year also, and under his 
special supervision, — the result of the earnest self-denial of 
some, and the generous kindness of others, — a plain, neat, 
and commodious house of worship was erected. 

In 1845, Rev. G. W. Frost was appointed to labor here ; 
and was succeeded, in 1846, by Rev. J. Augustus Adams, a 
thorough scholar and an earnest Christian, who bent all his 
energies to the great work of guiding souls heavenward. 
The year following, Rev. J. Shepard, a good man and full of 
the Holy Ghost, was pastor. 

In 1848, Rev. I. W. Tucker ' occupied the same station ; 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 271 

and was followed, in 1849, by Rev. "Willard Smith, who, in 
labors more abundant, was an instrument, in the hands of 
God, of an untold amount of good in this portion of God's 
heritage. He labored here two years ; and tears, such as 
were shed for Paul, expressed the sorrow felt at his depart- 
ure. 

During the years 1851-2, the station was filled by Rev. 
A. D. Morrill, who, as usual, labored with his whole soul for 
the spiritual benefit of his charge. 

In the year 1853, Rev. John Perkins, in the spirit of his 
Master, and with tender love and zeal, performed the duties 
of pastor. 

He was followed by Rev. Charles Noble ; who was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. Edward S. Best, to whose watch-care it is 
now intrusted. 

A prosperous and interesting sabbath school has, from the 
first, been connected with the church, where much good has 
been done for the rising generation. 

Since the commencement of the present year (1855), the 
house has been neatly repaired, and now presents an inviting 
aspect to those who worship there. 



BAPTIST SOCIETY. 

The origin of the first Baptist Society in Medford was in 
the summer of 1840, when a number of persons of the Bap- 
tist persuasion, some of whom had long been residents in the 
town, associated themselves together for the purpose of sus- 
taining the preaching of the gospel, and especially for open- 
ing a place of worship for the special accommodation of the 
many strangers who patrolled our streets and thronged the 
public square on the sabbath. The use of the Town Hall 
was secured ; and public worship commenced on the 16th 
of August, 1840. The Rev. Dr. Lucius M. Bolles, of 
Boston, Secretary of the Baptist Missionary Union, officiated 
as clergyman, and preached to an interested and attentive 
audience. 

The meetings were continued, with growing zeal, until 
late in the summer of 1841, when a church was formed, con- 
sisting of twelve members ; and George W. Bosworth, a 
graduate of the Newton Theological Institution, was invited 
to become its pastor. A council of delegates from neighbor- 



272 HISTOllY OF MEDFORD. 

ing Baptist churches was convened, Sept. 8, 1841, in the 
vestry of the Second Congregational meeting-house. After 
due organization, the council proceeded to examine the arti- 
cles of faith and covenant of the church ; which were found 
to be substantially the same as the New Hampshire articles, 
so called, and such as are generally adopted by the regular 
Calvinistic Baptist churches in New England. The council 
then proceeded to examine the pastor elect ; and, after a brief 
adjournment, the public services of recognizing the church 
were performed. At the same time, and by the above-named 
council, George W. Bosworth was publicly ordained to the 
work of the gospel ministry. Rev. Mr. Bosworth labored in 
his infant church, with great acceptance and success, for 
nearly five years ; when he found that the demands of his 
family required a larger salary, and he removed to a wider 
field of labor. He reluctantly yielded to a necessity, and 
left Medford early in 1846, greatly to the grief of the 
church. 

A society was formed to act in concert with the church ; 
and was incorporated, under the general act of incorporation 
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, May 29, 1842, on 
application of Moses Parsons, Lewis C. Sorntas, Robert L. 
Ells, William Parsons, and others. 

Many inconveniences were experienced by the church and 
society from worshipping in a place so common, and appro- 
priated to so many different uses, as the Town Hall. Pre- 
parations were now made for building a plain and neat chapel 
for the better accommodation of the worshippers. The very 
kind and fraternal feeling of Dudley Hall, Esq., enabled 
them to secure a convenient and eligible piece of land, ad- 
joining the old burying-ground, near the centre of the town. 
The society proceeded to erect their chapel during the sum- 
mer of 1842 ; being kindly assisted by some of their fellow- 
citizens, among whom were the late Peter C. Brooks, Esq., 
and others, and also by friends of adjoining towns. 

On the 14th day of September, 1842, their chapel, being 
finished and ready for occupancy, was publicly dedicated to 
the service and worship of Almighty God. The church and 
society, rejoicing that they could now worship under their 
own vine and fig-tree, gladly removed to their chapel, where 
they still worship. After the removal of Mr. Bosworth, the 
church and society were for some months destitute of a pas- 
tor ; when they united in the election of Rev. B. C. Grafton, 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 273 

formerly of West Cambridge, as their pastor. Rev. Mr. 
Grafton continued but a few months in this relation, leaving 
the people again destitute of an under-shepherd. Some 
months now elapsed ; when Mr. G. F. Danforth, a graduate 
of New Hampden, N.H., was called, publicly ordained, and 
installed as pastor. Rev. Mr. Danforth resigned his pastoral 
relation after the brief period of little more than a year. A 
destitution of some months followed, when the people again 
succeeded in calling a minister to supply the sacred desk ; 
and the Rev. E. K. Fuller, of Somerset, Mass., was invited 
to fill the sacred office. Rev. Mr. Fuller commenced his 
labors on the 1st of April, 1849, and continued his work, 
with much success, until April 1, 1854, — a period of five 
years. 

Notwithstanding the too frequent changes in the pastoral 
relation, it has been the good fortune of this church and 
society to enjoy its full share of increase and prosperity. 
Since its organization, two new societies of the Protestant 
faith have been formed in Medford, and two new churches 
have been built. Ours is the only Baptist church in the 
town ; but the increase of population, and the spread of our 
faith, have combined to make our present place of worship 
much too limited to accommodate the regular worshippers ; 
and we contemplate, as early as practicable, the removal of our 
meeting-house, and the erection of another, of more modern 
architecture, and much larger dimensions. We also take 
pleasure in acknowledging the generous gift of a piece of 
ground, by Dudley Hall, Esq., for the purpose of enlarging 
our meeting-house lot. The church and society have recently 
been so fortunate as to secure the pastoral services of Rev. 
Thomas E. Keely, the former successful pastor, for a num- 
ber of years, of the Baptist church in Kingston, Mass. That 
his labors may be owned and blessed of the great Head of the 
church, and that the little one may continue, increase, and 
multiply, bringing glory to God and salvation to souls, is the 
prayer of the flock. 

MYSTIC CHURCH. 

This third Congregational Society in Medford had its 
origin in the second society. From its printed documents, 
the following history is extracted : — 

" In consequence of some difference of opinion in the church, a 

35 



274 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

conference of four neighboring clergymen was called, in March' 
1847, to whom were submitted statistics and other facts, showing the 
necessity of increased church accommodation for the orthodox 
Congregationalists. At this conference, Rev. Mr. Baker and a 
large number of the brethren of the Second Church were present. 
As the result, it was the unanimous opinion of the clergymen from 
abroad, and nearly as unanimously the opinion of the brethren who 
were present, that it was highly expedient that a new church and 
congregation should be formed. 

" In pursuance of this advice, with the nearly unanimous consent 
of the Second Church, separate worship was established in the Town 
Hall, May 9, 1847. A new church, called the Mystic Church, was 
here organized, with sixty members, by a large ecclesiastical coun- 
cil, the 6th of July. Rev. Abner B. Warner, a nephew of Rev. 
Professor Warner, the first pastor of the Second Church, was 
installed over the Mystic Church, Oct. 27 of the same year. 

" FORM OP ADMISSION. ADDRESS. 

" Beloved Friends, — You have presented yourselves before God 
and his people, and the world, to make a public profession of your 
faith, and to take on you the bonds of an everlasting covenant. 

" We trust you have well considered the nature of this transac- 
tion, the most solemn and momentous in which a mortal can engage ; 
that you are prepared by divine grace to renew in public that con- 
secration to God which you have made in private ; and that you 
deem it a duty, as well as a privilege, thus to unite yourselves with 
the followers of Christ. 

" Having been duly examined and propounded, and having given 
your assent in private to the Articles of Faith, you will now pub- 
licly profess the same. 

" CONFESSION OF FAITH. 

" Art. 1. — You believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testaments are given by inspiration of God, and that they contain 
the only perfect rule of faith and practice. 

" Art. 2. — You believe in the existence of one eternal, un- 
changeable, and glorious God, subsisting in three persons, Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost ; and that these three so exist that they are 
really and truly God. 

" Art. 3. — You believe that God made all things for himself, 
and that he governs the universe according to the counsel of his 
own will, and that all events will be made subservient to his wise 
and benevolent designs. 

" Art. 4. — You believe that man was created in the image of 
God, in a state of rectitude and holiness; that he fell from that 
state by transgressing the divine law ; and that, in consequence of 
the original apostasy, the heart of man, in his natural state, is desti- 
tute of holiness, and inclined io evil ; and that all men, previous to 
regeneration, are dead in trespasses and sins. 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 275 

" Art. 5. — You believe that Christ Jesus has, by his sufferings 
and death, made atonement for sin ; and that all who are saved are 
justified wholly by grace, through the redemption which there is in 
Christ. 

" Art. 6. — You believe that salvation is freely offered to all 
men, and that all men are under obligation immediately to embrace 
the gospel ; but that such is the depravity of the human heart, that 
no man will come to Christ until he is renewed by the special 
agency of the Holy Spirit. 

" Art. 7. — You believe that all who embrace the gospel were, 
from the beginning, chosen unto salvation, through sanctification of 
the Spirit and belief of the truth ; and that they will be kept by the 
power of God, through faith, unto salvation. 

" Art. 8. — You believe that there will be a resurrection of the 
just and of the unjust, and a day of general judgment ; and that 
the wicked will go away into punishment, and the righteous into 
happiness, both of which will be without end. 

" Art. 9. — You believe that in this world the Lord Jesus Christ 
has a visible church, the terms of admission to which are a credible 
evidence of regeneration, baptism, and a public profession of faith 
in Christ ; that the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper 
are to be observed to the end of the world ; that none but members 
of the visible church have a right to the Lord's Supper; and that 
such, and such only, have a right to dedicate their infant offspring 
in baptism. 

" Do you thus profess and believe ? 

" COVENANT. 

"You come sensible that you are sinners; that you have de- 
parted from your Maker, and have lived under the influence of that 
carnal mind which is enmity against God ; that you have broken 
his law, and abused his love, and that you are unworthy his favor; 
and you give up yourselves to this God Jehovah as your God and 
Father, to the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Saviour, and to the 
Holy Ghost as your Guide, Sanctifier, and Comforter ; and, in this 
public manner, you dedicate yourselves to God in the bonds of his 
everlasting covenant. 

" You unreservedly surrender all you have and are to his sove- 
reign disposal ; and engage henceforth to live to him, and not to 
yourselves. 

" Depending on his grace, you promise to perform the various 
duties you owe to God, to your fellow-creatures, and to yourselves 
(and to bring up all committed to your care in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord). 

" You also covenant and engage, that you will sanctify the sab- 
bath, and adorn your profession by a faithful adherence to the wor- 
ship of God's house, and by diligently attending on all Christian 
ordinances, and holding communion in them, with this church, as 



276 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

God in his word enjoins ; that you will watch over your brethren 
in love, faithfully reproving them when they go astray ; and that 
you will submit to the discipline of Christ in his house, and to the 
regular administration of it in this church, — seeking its peace and 
welfare in all things, so long as God shall continue you here. 
" Thus you covenant and engage. (Here the church rise.) 
"I, then, in the presence of God and these witnesses, and in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, pronounce you a member of this 
branch of his visible church ; and we covenant and engage to treat 
you as such, and, in the connection we now sustain with you, to 
watch over you in the spirit of meekness and love, as your brethren 
and sisters in the Lord. 

"And now, beloved in Christ, remember that the vows of God 
are upon you, and will remain through life, in death, at the judg- 
ment-seat, and for ever. The Lord preserve and guide you in the 
path of righteousness and peace, give you triumph through faith in 
the hour of death, and at last receive you and us to that blessed 
world where our communion and joy shall be for ever perfect. 
Amen. 

"BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 

" 1. This church is independent, so far as relates to its internal 
organization and the regulation of its affairs ; it controls the admis- 
sion, discipline, and removal of its members, according to its own 
understanding of the word of God. 

" 2. This church will extend to other evangelical Congregational 
churches, and receive from them, that fellowship, advice, and assist- 
ance which the law of Christ requires. It will extend the usual 
rights of communion, and practise the usual transfer of members, 
according to its own convictions of duty. 

" 3. This church will grant dismissions and recommendations to 
those members who are in good standing, and who conscientiously 
prefer uniting with other churches of any evangelical denomi- 
nation, when they apply in a regular manner, and with a Christian 
spirit. 

" 4. This church deems it irregular, if any members withdraw 
from them, and unite in communion and worship with other 
churches, either on account of any offence, or on the plea of better 
edification, without giving notice to the church, and requesting a 
dismission. 

" 5. Any member having cause of complaint against another, in 
cases of personal offence, should immediately seek to have it 
removed in a Christian manner, the directions given in Matt, xviii. 
15-17 being his guide. 

" 6. In cases of offence against the church, it is the duty of any 
member cognizant of it to seek at once to have it removed, by per- 
sonal labor, before making it a matter of public complaint. 

"7. It is a recognized principle in civil society, that every man 
shall bear his proportion to the support of its institutions. This 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



277 



church regards it as equally binding upon the members of Christ's 
house, that they shall bear their just proportion to the support of 

the gospel. 

" 8. This church regards slaveholding, the traffic in and use ot 
intoxicating drinks as a beverage, gambling, and such like things, 
as inconsistent with Christian character. 

" 9. This church affectionately, yet earnestly, entreats its members 
to avoid all connection with dancing assemblies, theatrical exhibi- 
tions, secret societies, and similar associations, as tending practi- 
cally to weaken the bond of Christian brotherhood, and to bring a 
reproach upon the cause of their Master. 

The present house of worship was dedicated Feb. 14, 1849. 
Rev. A. B. Warner died May 26, 1853. Rev. Jacob M. 
Manning was ordained pastor Jan. 5, 1854. 



GRACE CHURCH. 

The liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal _ church was first 
used in public worship, in Medford, on Christmas Eve, A.D. 
1847. About the same time, a hall was procured, and the 
services of a clergyman were engaged for a limited time, in 
the hope that it might be found expedient to form a parish. 
It soon became manifest that a sufficient number of persons 
were interested in the enterprise to justify this step, and a 
meeting was accordingly called ; and, on the 15th day of 
February, A.D. 1848, a parish was legally organized, under 
the name of Grace Church. In March following, the Rev. 
David Greene Haskins was chosen rector. In September, 
1849, measures were taken for building a church. A conve- 
nient location was chosen, and a small but neat and beautiful 
edifice was erected, and, on the 11th of May, 1850, conse- 
crated to the worship of God. 

Mr. Haskins retained the charge of the parish until 
February, 1852 ; when he resigned, and was succeeded by 
the Rev. Justin Field, the present rector. 



278 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



EDUCATION. 

Religion, and love of liberty, brought our pilgrim ancestors 
to Medford ; and as these principles sprang in them from 
intelligence and virtue, so they revealed to them the need of 
intelligence and virtue in their offspring. To educate, there- 
fore, was to legislate for the future. The establishment of 
schools, during the first years of their residence, was an 
impossibility ; and, consequently, domestic instruction was 
the only alternative. The Bible and Primer were the read- 
ing-books. In those towns or plantations where a clergyman 
could be supported, he usually occupied much of his time in 
teaching the young ; and it was common for boys to be 
received into the minister's family to be prepared for college. 
Those pastors who had been silenced in England, and who 
came here to minister to the scattered flocks in the wilder- 
ness, were men of strong thought and sound scholarship ; 
and they kept up the standard of education. From the 
necessities of their condition, however, it is apparent that 
the children of our ancestors must have been scantily taught, 
and their grandchildren still greater sufferers ; for learning 
follows wealth. 

The first movement for the establishment of schools took 
place under the administration of Governor Prence ; and, at 
his suggestion, the following order was passed in the Colony 
Court, 1663 : — 

" It is proposed by the Court unto the several townships in this 
jurisdiction, as a thing they ought to take into their serious consi- 
deration, that some course may be taken, that in every town there 
may be a schoolmaster set up, to train up children in reading and 
writing. 

" In 1670, the Court did freely give and grant all such profits as 
might or should accrue annually to the Colony for fishing with a net 
or seines at Cape Cod for mackerel, bass, or herrings, to be im- 
proved for and towards a free school, in some town in this jurisdic- 
tion, for the training up of youth in literature, for the good and 
benefit of posterity, — provided a beginning be made within one 
year after said grant." 



EDUCATION. 



279 



The occupants of the Medford plantation, being few and 
poor, secured instruction to their children by domestic teach- 
ing, and by using the schools of the neighboring towns. 
Towards the support of those schools, they were required by 
law to contribute ; and that they were benefited by them, is 
apparent from the fact, that all the persons who appear, 
through a series of years, as officers in the town, were well 
educated. The leading idea of emigration to this country, 
and the spirit of the age, would not allow them to neglect 
education. They provided for it in a way that did not 
require public record at the time. 

In 1701, the penalty imposed by the Legislature upon 
towns for neglecting to provide grammar schools was twenty 
pounds. It was required that " the schoolmaster should be 
appointed by the ministers of the town and the ministers of 
the two next adjacent towns, or any two of them, by certifi- 
cates under their hands." 

These early resolves concerning schools and education 
indubitably prove two things : first, that our Puritan Fathers 
believed that the establishment of schools was a duty they 
owed to justice and humanity, to freedom and religion ; and, 
second, that they had resolved that these schools should be 
free. Here, then, was a new idea introduced to the world, 
— free schools ! And, from free schools and congregational 
churches, what could result but republicanism ? They held 
our republic as the acorn holds the oak. It is important to 
state that free schools originated in Massachusetts. 

In 1671, Sir William Berkeley, first Governor of Virginia, 
writes to the king thus : — 

" I thank God there are no free schools nor printing-presses here, 
and I trust there will not be this hundred years ; for learning breeds 
up heresies and sects and all abominations. God save us from 
both ! " 

Now look . at Massachusetts. The Rev. John Robin- 
son, before the Pilgrims left Leyden, charged them to 
build churches, establish schools, and read the Bible with- 
out sectarian prejudice. He said, " I am convinced that 
God has more light yet to break forth out of his holy word. 
Receive such light gladly." Our fathers acted on this, wise, 
Christia.n, and republican advice, and engaged Philemon 
Purmount "to teach the children ; for which he was to be paid 
thirty acres of ground by the public authorities." How 



280 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

accordant this with that noble resolve of New England, to 
establish a college, " to the end that good learning may not 
be buried in the graves of our fathers " ! It is cheering to 
read in the early records of Medford, when a special town- 
meeting was called for this only purpose, — viz., " to see if 
the town will have a school kept for three months," — to find 
every voter in favor of it, and, at the end of this vote, 
appending these immortal words, — " and this school shall 

BE FREE." 

Here we have, in short compass, the diiferent beginnings 
and opposite policies of two settlements : the one anathema- 
tizing free schools and printing-presses ; the other doing all 
it can for free inquiry, universal culture, and progressive 
truth. The natural result of one system is to overrun a 
state with slavery, darken it with ignorance, pinch it with 
poverty, and curse it •vyith irreligion ; the natural result of 
the other is to fill a state with freemen, to enlighten it with 
knowledge, to expand it with wealth, and to bless with 
Christianity. 

We should never cease to thank God that our ancestors, 
though surrounded by savage foes and doomed to poverty 
and self-denial, laid deep the foundations of that system of 
common schools which is now the nursery of intelligence, 
the basis of virtue, the pledge of freedom, and the hope of 
the world. 

The course of instruction was narrow and partial. Each 
hungry child got a crust ; but no one had a full meal. The 
New England Primer was the first book, the Spelling-book 
the second, and the Psalter the last. Arithmetic and writing 
found special attention ; grammar and geography were thought 
less needful. The school was opened and closed with read- 
ing the Scriptures and the offerings of prayer. The hours 
were from nine to twelve o'clock, and from one to four. 
Thursday and Saturday afternoons were vacations. 

For the next fifty years, the inhabitants of Medford sup- 
ported their schools at as cheap a rate as they could, because 
their means were not abundant. The spirit was willing, but 
the flesh was weak. The Rev. Mr. Porter acted as private 
teacher, and doubtless rendered great help to the cause of 
education. 

1700 : Neal says, " Hardly a child of nine or ten years old, 
throughout the whole country, but can read and write, and 
say his catechism." 



EDUCATION. Q$\ 

Nov. 30, 1719, a special meeting was held, " to see if a 
school shall be established for four months. Voted in the 
affirmative. Also voted that the town will allow Mr. Davi- 
son three pounds money for keeping the school the time 
above said, and also to diet him for the town." Heretofore, 
schools had been kept in private houses ; but, Feb. 22, 1720, 
it was voted to build a schoolhouse. 

Dec. 12, 1720 : Two schools proposed and organized for 
the first time ; one for the west end, and the other for the 
east. Mr. Caleb Brooks was engaged to keep the west school 
for three months, at two pounds per month; Mr. Henry 
Davison the east, at the same price. 

In these ways, primary instruction was provided for. 
Although, in their votes, they used the word " established," 
it could not be strictly true ; for there was no school esta- 
blished, as we understand the term. Money raised for schools 
was not at first put among the town charges, but raised as a 
separate tax. Schools were any thing but perennial ; they 
could hardly be dignified with the title of semi-annual, and 
sometimes almost deserved the sobriquet of ephemeral. At 
first they were kept in a central "angle," or "squadron," 
which meant district ; the next improvement was to keep a 
third of the time in one extremity, a third in the opposite, 
and a third in the centre. Sometimes the money raised for 
the support of the school was divided according to the num- 
ber of polls, and sometimes according to the number of chil- 
dren. The church and the school were, with our fathers, the 
alpha and omega of town policy. 

" Oct. 5, 1730 : Voted to build a new schoolhouse." 
Same day : " Voted to set up a reading and writing school 
for six months." 

March 11, 1771 : « Voted to build the schoolhouse upon 
the land behind the meeting-house, on the north-west corner 
of the land." 

1776 : Voted that the master instruct girls two hours after 
the boys are dismissed. 

By a traditional blindness, we charitably presume it must 
have been, our early fathers did not see that females required 
and deserved instruction equally with males ; we therefore 
find the first provisions for primary schools confined to" boys. 
As light broke in, they allowed girls to attend the public 
school two hours per day ; and it was not until April 5, 1790, 
that the question was formally considered. On that day, a 

36 



282 HISTORY OF MEDFOIiD. 

committee was chosen to inquire "if it be expedient for 
girls to attend the master's school." The committee wisely 
recommended the affirmative ; whereupon, at the next town- 
meeting, it was voted " that girls have liberty to attend the 
master-school during three summer months." 

" June 20, 1794 : Voted that females attend the master- 
school separately, from the 1st of May to the 1st of October, 
four hours each day ; and that the boys attend four hours each 
day, — Thursday and Saturday afternoons being vacations." 
No one was admitted under seven years of age, nor unless he 
could read and spell. Woman, as the first instructor of man, 
needs a double portion of culture ; and, when we starve the 
mother, we curse the cradle. 

The course of study was, for the most part, meagre and 
impoverishing. The healthy curiosity of the mind was fed 
on the dryest husks of grammar, arithmetic, spelling, and 
reading. Whatever could be turned to pecuniary gain was 
the great object in the selection of studies. Webster's Spell- 
ing-book, American Preceptor, Young Lady's Accidence, 
Pike's Arithmetic, and Morse's Geography, were the mines 
out of which 4 pupils were commanded to dig the golden ores 
of all useful knowledge. The books were made with very 
slight apprehension of a child's mode of thought. They 
seemed to take for granted that the pupil knew the very 
things they proposed to teach him. They abounded with 
rules, without giving any instruction concerning the princi- 
ples out of which the rules rose. It was somewhat like 
lecturing on optics to the blind, or on music to the deaf. 

May 5, 1795 : On this day, the town voted to build a 
brick schoolhouse behind the meeting-house. They agreed 
" to give William Woodbridge two hundred and twenty 
pounds, with the old schoolhouse, to build it." This house 
consisted of one large room, sufficient for sixty or seventy 
children, and was arranged after the newest models, and fur- 
nished with green blinds. On the north side sat the girls, 
and on the south the boys, constantly tempting each other to 
laugh and play. 

March 1, 1802 : " Voted that the * Royal ' donation be ap- 
propriated to pay the schooling of poor children, as last year." 

May 6, 1805 : Voted to prdcure a lot for a schoolhouse near 
Gravelly Bridge. Voted " to choose a committee to look out a 
piece of land at the west end of the town, procure materials (for 
a schoolhouse), and report their doings at March meeting." 



EDUCATION. » 283 

March 7, 1807 : Voted to enlarge the schoolhouse, and 
dig a well. After this was done, the girls and boys were 
taught in separate rooms. Until this time there had been 
but one public free school in the town ; and this was all that 
was then deemed necessary. It was taught by an accom- 
plished master through the year. After this time, two schools 
'were not too many, and the town cheerfully sustained them. 
No provision had been made for what are now called " pri- 
maiy schools ; " and therefore every parent was obliged to 
pay for the schooling of his children until they had reached 
the age of seven, when they could lawfully enter the grammar 
school. So late as 1813, children under seven years of age 
were, by vote, prohibited from entering the grammar schools. 

The " dame schools," or, as they were often called, the 
" marm schools," were numerous. Some vestal dames, whom 
it would not be profanation to call " sacred," and who never 
seemed young to their pupils, continued, through many 
years, to teach the young their first steps on the high and 
perilous ladder of learning. With what fidelity they adminis- 
tered the accustomed kisses, alphabet, and birch, some of us 
can never forget. Twelve cents per week, paid on each 
Monday morning, secured to each pupil an abundance of 
motherly care, useful knowledge, and salutary discipline. 
Our town rejoiced in a " Marm Betty." After all, these 
schools were more important to society than the march of 
armies or the sailing of fleets ; for they laid well the first foun- 
dation-stones of that immortal edifice, — human character. 

Since 1799, a law had existed in the town, pledging it to 
pay for the instruction of poor children at the dame schools. 

Whittling seems native to New England boys. March 7, 
1808, the town voted to repair the seats and benches in the 
schoolhouse. 

In 1817, female teachers for the female department -were 
preferred. They taught through six months only. In 1818, 
when Medford had two hundred and two families, the 
expenses of the schools were as follows : — 

Master for one year, at $20 per month $240 

Board for the same, at $3 per week r ■ ' 1<*6 

Master four months, at $20 per month 80 

Board for the same, at $3 per week 52 

Three female teachers twenty-five weeks each, at $4 . . . 300 
Bent for schoolhouses for female schools ....... 45 

$873 



284 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

April 7, 1823 : Voted to build a new schoolhouse " on 
the front line of the burying-place." 

Nov. 1, 1824 : Voted to divide the town into two disti-icts, 
to be called Eastern and Western ; and the $1,200, voted this 
year for the support of the schools, was to be divided equally 
between the districts. In 1825, the number of children in 
Medford, under fourteen years of age, was 525 ; and the 
thickening of population in new places made it necessary to 
multiply schoolhouses, and scatter them over the whole ter- 
ritory. 

1829 : Voted to build a schoolhouse, of wood, in the west 
part of the town. This was placed on the Woburn Road, on 
land bought of Jonathan Brooks, Esq. In 1831, it was re- 
moved and placed near the alms-house, on land belonging to 
the town. 

1833 : Voted to build a schoolhouse in the eastern dis- 
trict, the cost not to exceed four hundred dollars. 

The primary schools were taught by females, but not con- 
tinued, through the winter. 

March 3, " 1834 : Voted that the school-committee be 
directed so to arrange the town-schools that the girls shall 
enjoy equal privileges therein with the boys throughout the 
year." This tardy justice to the female sex was not peculiar 
to Medford ; and we are now amazed that Anglo-Saxon men, 
living in a free commonwealth and, professing the Christian 
religion, should have needed two hundred years to convince 
them that girls have an equal right with boys to all physical, 
intellectual, and moral development. 

The new interest awakened in the cause of elementary 
instruction, by the friends of common schools, produced its 
effects readily in Medford ; and, in 1835, the town chose a 
committee "to inquire how proper education might be more 
extensively and effectually promoted in the town." In this 
year a new schoolhouse was ordered, — the land and building 
to cost eight hundred dollars. 

March 2, 1835 : The town appointed a committee to " in- 
quire into the best methods of conducting public schools." 

This vote shows that the efforts of the school-reformers of 
previous years had uot been lost on Medford. Among 
these early friends of a better system was a talented son of 
Medford, Mr. William Channing Woodbridge, who received 
from his father a knowledge and love of school-teaching, and 
who, as editor of the " Annals of Education," labored suc- 






EDUCATION. 285 

cessfully for the great cause. His " Modern School Geogra- 
phy and Atlas " are proofs of his ability and enthusiasm ; 
and we deeply regret that all our efforts to learn more of his 
history and labors have been so unsuccessful. He is an 
honorary member of the Geographical Societies of Paris, 
Frankfort, and Berlin. 

If another son of Medford has labored long and spent 
much for common schools, is it necessary that it should be 
noticed in' this history ? The writer of this has maintained, 
that, under the circumstances, it is not necessary ; but he 
has at last been syllogized into the belief, that what was pub- 
licly done by a son of Medford towards the " education- 
revival" of 1835-7 belongs to the history of the town, and 
cannot be omitted without violating the rule followed in all 
other cases in town histories. Silenced rather than convinced, 
he yields to the wishes of those he has no right to disregard ; 
and, omitting all details, he consents only to the republication 
of a letter which first appeared in the Plymouth newspaper, 
Oct. 4, 1845, and was copied in the " Common School Jour- 
nal." The introductory remarks of the editor will sufficiently 
explain the facts. 

"Materials for a History of Massachusetts Schools. 
" The communications in our former numbers, respecting the 
Bridgewater Normal School and the late annual address before the 
pupils, have induced a friend of Mr. Brooks to write him, and ask 
about his first movements in the Old Colony. He reluctantly yield- 
ed to write an account ; but, as it connects itself so closely with the 
cause of education in our Commonwealth, we think our readers may 
be glad to see it. — Old Colony Memorial. 

" Boston, Sept. 2, 1845. 

" My dear Sir, — You ask me to print my address delivered at 
Bridgewater before the Normal School. I thank you for the com- 
pliment implied in such a request ; but, my friend, the time has 
passed for such a necessity. Our battle with ignorance and preju- 
dice has been fought in the Old Colony, and the victory is ours ; 
and there had better not be any parade of the old soldiers quite yet. 
Some educational antiquary, in his pardonable weakness, may show 
my lectures fifty years hence, as they sometimes show old cannon. 
They are fast growing into the sear and yellow leaf: so pray excuse 
me. * 

1" You ask about the educational movements in the Old Colony with 
which I was connected. The story is very short, and to most per- 
sons must be very uninteresting. 

" While in Europe, in 1833, I became interested in the Prussian 
system of education. I sought every occasion to enlarge my 



286 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

knowledge of its nature and action. A good opportunity came to 
me without my seeking it. The King of Prussia had sent Dr. 
Julius, of Hamburg, to this country, for the purpose of collecting 
information concerning our prisons, hospitals, schools, &c. I hap- 
pened to meet the doctor in a literary party in London, and he 
asked me to become his room-mate on board ship. I did so, and 
for forty-one days was with him listening to his descriptions of Ger- 
man and Prussian systems of instruction. I was resolved to attempt 
the introduction of several parts of the system into the United 
States. I formed my plan, and commenced operations by a public 
announcement, and an address at Hingham. I found some who 
understood and appreciated my views, and I worked on with a new 
convert's zeal. In 1835, 1 wrote and published; but few read, and 
fewer still felt any interest. I was considered a dreamer, who 
wished to fill our republican commonwealth with monarchial insti- 
tutions. There were some amusing caricatures of me published, to 
ridicule my labors. These did me more good than harm. I worked 
with precious few encouragements. I occupied Thanksgiving 
Day of 1835 in advocating, in a public address, my plan for Normal 
Schools. I took my stand upon this Prussian maxim, l As is the 
teacher, so is the school.' I thought the whole philosophy was 
summed up in that single phrase ; and I think so still. I accordingly 
wrote all my lectures with reference to the establishment of Nor- 
mal Schools. I now began to lecture before lyceums and conven- 
tions, and had many stormy debates, and a wonderful scarcity of 
compliments. The noise and dust of battle began at last to bring 
many to the comitia, until we got quite a respectable campus mar- 
tins. I thought there was one place where I could rely on intelli- 
gence and patriotism ; and there I resolved to go. I accordingly 
published in the newspapers, that a convention would be gathered at 
Plymouth, in court-week, ' to discuss the expediency of establishing 
a Normal School in the Old Colony.' The friends of common 
schools assembled, and a private room held us all ! But soon the 
truth spread ; and my friends in Hingham and Plymouth came up 
generously to the work. We felt that the two great ideas of the 
church and the schoolhouse, which our Pilgrim Fathers brought to 
this shore, were to be carried out, and ever trusted in God they 
would. % 

" But this narrative is growing too long. In a few words, then, let 
me add, that I found conventions to be the best missionaries of 
the truth ; and I gathered them in Plymouth, Duxbury, New 
Bedford, Bridgewater, Kingston, Hanover, Hanson, &c. The Old 
Colony was ready to take the lead ; and we began with petitions and 
memorials to the Legislature, all recommending the establishment 
of Normal Schools. How many hundred pages I wrote on this 
subject, during 1834-6, I dare not say. It was the subject of my 
thoughts and prayers. The wisdom of the Prussian scheme re- 
commended itself to the reflecting ; and, as I had studied it, I was 



EDUCATION. 287 

invited to lecture in each of the New England States. I went to 
Portsmouth, Concord, Nashua, and Keene, N.H. ; to Providence 
and Newport, R.I. ; to Hartford, Conn. ; to New York, New 
Jersey, Pennsylvania. I went through our own State, holding 
conventions at the large central towns. All this time I seemed to 
have little real success. I began to despair. I returned, after two 
years of excessive toil, to my professional duties, concluding that 
the time had not yet come for this great movement. One evening, 
in January, 1837, I was sitting reading to my family, when a letter 
was brought me from the friends of education in the Massachusetts 
Legislature, asking me to lecture on my hobby subject before that 
body. I was electrified with joy. The whole heavens to my eye 
seemed now filled with rainbows. January 18th came, and the hall 
of the House of Representatives was perfectly full. I gave an ac- 
count of the Prussian system ; and they asked if I would lecture 
again. I consented, and, the next evening, endeavored to show how 
far the Prussian system could he safely adopted in the United 
States. 

"4lere my immediate connection with the cause may be said to 
stop ; for one of my auditors, the Hon. Edmund Dwight, after this, 
took the matter into his hands, and did for it all a patriot could ask. 
He gave $10,000 for the establishment of Normal Schools, on con- 
dition the State would give as much. This happily settled the 
matter. A ' Board of Education ' was established, and they found 
the man exactly suited to the office of Secretary ; and at Worces- 
ter, Aug. 25, 1837, I had the satisfaction of congratulating the 
American Institute, in a public address, on the realization of wishes 
which they had for years cherished. Mr. Mann entered upon his 
labors that day ; and the results are gladdening the whole country. 
May God still smile on this cause of causes, until schools shall 
cover the whole world with knowledge, and Christianity shall fill it 
with love! 

" My friend, do not misinterpret my letter by supposing that I 
originated these ideas. Oh, no ! They were picked up by me in 
Europe. There had been an attempt at a teachers' seminary at 
Lancaster ; and the American Institute, unknown to me, had dis- 
cussed the subject before I was a member ; and the idea was not a 
new one. All I did was to bring it from Europe with me, and talk 
about it, and write about it, until the Old Colony adopted it. I 
hope the many early friends I had there will believe me when I 
say, that, without their generous and steady co-operation, I should 
have failed in my plans. The Normal Schools are of Prussian 
origin ; but let us not mourn on that account. The beautiful foun- 
tain of Arethusa sank under the ground in Greece, and re-appeared 
in Sicily ; but I have never read that the Sicilians mourned for the 
appearance of that foreign blessing among them. 

" Bespeaking your patient forbearance under this epistolary inflic- 
tion, I am, as ever, yours, truly, Charles Brooks." 



288 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

In 1837, voted to continue the primary schools through 
the year. 

To show how promptly our town took the form and 
pressure of the times, we need only state the appropriations 
annually made for the support of the schools ; and, beginning 
with 1832, they stand thus : — 



For 1832 $1,200 

„ 1833 1,400 

„ 1834 1,500 

„ 1836 2,250 

„ 1837 2,500 



For 1838 $2,700 

„ 1840 3,000 

„ 1842 3,200 

,,1850 4,309 

„ 1854 7,169 



It will take but little arithmetic to prove that here was an 
increase in appropriations, within ten years, beyond all for- 
mer precedents, and beyond the ratio of increase in numbers 
or wealth in the town. Medford partook so fully of the new 
enthusiasm for the improvement of its schools, that in 1853 
it stood twelfth on the list of towns in the county, and twenty- 
fifth in the Commonwealth ; paying, at that time, $6.04.7 per 
head for each child in town between the ages of five and fifteen. 

1840 : The age at which pupils were admitted to the pri- 
mary schools was four years ; and they could not remain in 
the grammar schools after they were sixteen. 

April 3, 1843 : Voted to build a schoolhouse, in High 
Street, upon land bought of John Howe. This house was to 
be sixty feet by forty ; three stories high ; of wood, with 
brick basement ; and its cost limited to $4,500, — to be called 
the High School. 

"The' Course of Study in the High School shall embrace four 
years, and be as follows : — 

Class 4. 

1. Review of preparatory studies, using the text-books authorized 

in the Grammar Schools. 

2. English Grammar, to the completion of Syntax and Prosody, 

including Rules of Versification and Analysis, and their ex- 
emplification. 

3. Ancient and Physical Geography. "> To be pursued conjointly, and by the 

4. Worcester's General History. j same geographical divisions. 

5. Algebra, to succeed Arithmetic. 

6. Hitchcock's Book-keeping — 3 lessons a week. 

7. French Language. 2 „ „ 

Class 3. 

1. Algebra and book-keeping completed ; after which, — 

2. Legendre's Geometry. 



EDUCATION. 289 



/ 



3. Whately's or Blair's Rhetoric, with Syntactical and Prosodiacal 

Exercises, and exemplifications of Rhetorical Rules in Read- 
ing and other Lessons. 

4. Bayard's Constitution of the United States. 

5. Gray's or Parker's Natural Philosophy. 

6. French Language, continued. 

7. Drawing, — two lessons a week. 

Class 2. 

1. Davis's Trigonometry, with its applications to Surveying, Navi- 

gation, Mensuration, &c. 

2. French Language, continued. 

3. Drawing, ,, 

4. Natural Philosophy, completed. 

5. Olmstead's or Norton's Astronomy. 

6. Wayland's Moral Philosophy. 

7. Paley's Natural Theology. 

8. Physiology, commenced. 

9. Cleveland's Compendium of English Literature. 

" The Spanish, Italian, or German Languages may be commenced 
by such pupils as in the judgment of the master have acquired a 
competent knowledge of the French. 

Class 1. 

1. Modern Languages, continued. 

2. Intellectual Philosophy. 

3. Astronomy in its higher departments. 1 

4. Whately's Logic. 

c nr i • > t? • j t,' t I Either of them at option of pu- 

5. Mechanics Engineering and higher } pil) ^ th aprobation f master. 

Mathematics. 

6. Botany. 

7. Geology, or Natural History, generally. 

8. Chemistry. 

9. Physiology, completed. 

" The several classes shall also have exercises in English Com- 
position and Declamation." 

May 12, 1849 : Voted that both the schools at the West 
End shall be " annual schools." 

March 4, 1850: Voted to build a schoolhouse on the 
south side of the river. 

March 7, 1853 : For support of schools, $5,400. Same 
day, voted to build a new schoolhouse in Salem Street. 

March 10, 1851 : Voted to build a schoolhouse in the 
west part of the town, and that $2,000 be appropriated for 
said purpose. 

The inhabitants of West Medford, desirous of having a 

37 



290 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

schoolhouse more ample in its dimensions and more classic 
in its appearance than the town's appropriation would pro- 
cure, cheerfully united in adding to it, by subscription, the 
sum of nine hundred dollars. This sum was raised by resi- 
dents of the " West End ; " and they who were most able to 
give, gave with abounding liberality. The building com- 
mittee were Messrs. Charles Caldwell, J. B. Hatch, and J. 
M. Usher ; and they spared no pains in procuring a skilful 
draughtsman. Mr. George A. Caldwell was the master- 
builder. 

On the 6th of August, 1851, the corner-stone was laid 
with appropriate religious and literary exercises. Edward 
Brooks, Esq., presided, and made the opening remarks. 
Prayer was offered by Rev. E. K. Fuller ; and then an origi- 
nal poem was spoken by a pupil, followed with short speeches 
by neighbors and friends.- The house is placed between 
Irving and Brooks Streets^ on the hill, where pure air comes 
from the heavens, and pure water from the earth, — the one 
securing a healthy ventilation, and the other as healthy a 
digestion. 

On the £2d of December, 1851, a day chosen in honor of 
the Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth, the house was 
dedicated. The company was numerous, and the enthusiasm 
great. Prayers were offered by Rev. Dr. Ballou, the senior 
pastor in the town ; and the dedicatory address was delivered 
by the writer of this history, and afterwards published by re- 
quest. An original poem, strikingly adapted to the occasion, 
was recited by a lad eight years old. Before the crowd sepa- 
rated, the chairman proposed from the committee that the 
school should be called the Brooks School. This was 
voted by acclamation ; and thus ended our literary festival. 

We wish it were in our power to name the teachers of our 
public schools, who have filled their high and sacred office 
through many years with such distinguished fidelity and 
success. Usage forbids this ; but let every such teacher be 
assured that he has a reward infinitely higher than the 
applause of men. 

There were twelve female and four male teachers employed 
by the town in 1854. The schools are reported as in excel- 
lent condition. The following abstract of the monthly reports 
of the teachers embraces the whole of the year 1854 : — 



EDUCATION. 



291 



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60 


4 


322 


423 


2 


Centre Grammar School . . . 


85 


68 


62 


271 


62 


1055 


46 


Everett Grammar School . . . 


102 


81 


77 


324 


225 


1479 


9 


Brooks Primary School . . . 


56 


44 


35 


317 


148 


769 


95 


Union-street Primary School . . 


53 


44 


39 


201 


64 


903 


129 


Everett Primary School . . . 


57 


50 


46 


726 


362 


1081 


339 


Salem-street Primary School 


46 


43 


39 


391 


101 


998 


193 


Park-street Primary School . . 


50 


46 


42 


617 


273 


736 


407 


Union-street Alphabet School . 


72 


59 


50 


1032 


76 


1768 


263 


Everett Alphabet School . . . 


70 


53 


47 


154 


180 


1267 


204 


Salem-street Alphabet School . 


65 


60 


49 


620 


72 


1798 


266 


Parks-street Alphabet School . 


72 


68 


49 


384 


103 


1418 


428 


*Brooks Alphabet School . . . 


26 


26 


20 


87 


16 


112 


8 




824 


694 


615 


5128 


2003 


13,807 


2389 



* This School was kept only two months. 

Total Expenses from Feb. 15, 1854, to Feb. 15, 1855. 

For salaries of teachers $5,490.64 

Fuel • 616,45 

For repairs and incidental expenses 1,031.73 

$7,138.82 

ACADEMIES. 

Medford has been famous for its excellent private schools. 
So early as 1790, Mr. William Woodbridge opened one for 
young ladies and boys, providing board in his own family 
for many who came from Boston and other places. He 
seemed to have discovered, what is now so commonly known, 
that the surest way of having a select and full school was to 
ask the highest price. At first he met with some success in 
teaching, but more in salary, and educated several of the 
first females of the State. 

His academy was kept in the house formerly occupied by 
Colonel Royal. At one time he had ninety-six girls and 
forty -two boys. His sister was associated with him, and one 
male teacher. He had no objection to inflict corporal punish- 
ment on females ! He was greatly given to wild speculations 
in trade, and seemed to carry something of this spirit into his 
schoolroom. He had. no system of teaching, and let any 



292 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

pupil read from any book he pleased. Such teaching would 
not secure long patronage ; and Mr. "Woodbridge relinquished 
school-keeping for baking, and failed also in that business, 
in Charlestown. He then moved to Connecticut ; and we lose 
sight of him. 

Mr. Joseph "Wyman, of Woburn, who had kept the public 
school in Medford, built the house now owned by the Bige- 
low family, and there opened a private school for boys and 
girls. He taught only a few years. 

Mrs. Susanna Rawson succeeded Mr. Wyman, and opened 
a boarding-school for girls in the house which had been occu- 
pied by him. She was a lady of uncommon attainments, apt 
in teaching, and able to govern. Her school deserved its 
high popularity ; and that its numbers were great, may be 
inferred from the following vote of the town : — 

"May 12, 1800: Voted that the second and third seats 
in the women's side-gallery in the meeting-house be allowed 
Mrs. Rawson, for herself and scholars ; and that she be al- 
lowed to put doors and locks on them." 

This lady was quite an authoress ; and one of her novels 
had extensive circulation. 

Mrs. Newton succeeded Mrs. Rawson, occupying the same 
house from 1803 to 1806. She was a native of Rhode 
Island, and sister of Gilbert Stuart, the painter. Her success 
was so great at one time that she had sixty pupils, some of 
whom were foreigners, and many of them from neighboring 
States. Some of her pupils became distinguished ladies in 
New England. She removed to Boston, and continued her 
school there. 

Dr. Luther Stearns (H.C. 1791) opened a classical school, 
first for girls, and afterwards for boys and girls, in his house, 
which fronted the entrance of Medford turnpike. This was 
a boarding-school ; and but a few children of Medford attend- 
ed it. Dr. Stearns had been tutor of Latin at Cambridge, and 
ever showed a preference for that language. His school was 
filled with children from the first families of New England, 
with now and then a sprinkling of French and Spanish blood. 
A kinder heart never beat in human bosom ; so kind and tole- 
rant as to forbid that imperial rule and uncompromising 
decision so needful for a troop of boys. He prepared many 
young men for college ; and some of us who are of the num- 
ber remember with delight his mildness and generosity. 

Dr. John Hosmer opened a private academy, for boys, 



EDUCATION. 293 * 

about the year 1806, and, by persevering fidelity, gained 
reputation. He built the large house on Forest Street lately 
occupied as a boarding-house, and superintended the amuse- 
ments as well as the studies of his boarders. He was not 
one of those of whom it is said, Tanto buon, che val niente. 
He was perhaps less of a scholar than a disciplinarian ; yet 
he made skilful mathematicians and accomplished linguists, 
because he made students. He taught his pupils the force 
of this sentence : Sic volo ; sicjubeo ; stat pro ratione volun- 
tas. He was neither severe nor unreasonable ; for, under a 
soldier's sternness, there nestled something of a lover's good- 
will. 

Miss Ann Rose, of London, opened a day-school, for girls, 
in May, 1811 ; and, in November, 1812, she, and Miss 
Hannah Swan, of Medford, converted it into a boarding- 
school, and soon found their house filled with young ladies 
from the best families in the State. The good influences of 
this academy can hardly be over-stated. Uniting extensive 
literary accomplishments with the highest moral qualifica- 
tions, these ladies performed their legislative and executive 
duties with dignity and quietness, and labored to give that 
instruction which develops all the powers for health, useful- 
ness, and station. They have lived to receive showers of 
blessings from grateful pupils. Fide et amove. 

Mr. John Angier (H.C. 1821) opened a boarding-school, 
for boys and girls, May 1, 1821, and took the same house 
which Dr. Hosmer had formerly used. Having already 
acquired a reputation as teacher, and being as highly esteemed 
as he was well known in Medford, his success came early 
and copiously. He devoted his whole mind and time to his 
duties, and had a crowded school as testimony to his fidelity 
and usefulness. For twenty years his school grew in popu- 
larity ; and there was general regret when his health com- 
pelled him to resign it in 1841. 

During his teaching, he had five hundred new scholars ; 
some remained seven years with him. Among his pupils, he 
counts Chief Justice Gilchrist, of New Hampshire ; and 
Justice Benjamin R. Curtis, of the Supreme Court of the 
United States. 

The many of both sexes whom he has sent forth rejoicing 
in the way of knowledge and virtue will ever remember him 
with deepest gratitude. Fideli certa merces. 

The private boarding-school for young ladies, taught for 



"294 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



twenty-four years, with signal success, by Miss Eliza Brad- 
bury, was deservedly ranked among the most useful semina- 
ries within the neighborhood of Boston. Devoting herself 
to the most substantial and important branches of education, 
she produced the most durable and happy results. Her 
pupils were mostly from other towns, and several of them 
from the most elevated families. Fortiter, jideliter, /eli- 
cit er. 

Other private schools, less extensive in numbers and of 
shorter duration, have done their share in the good work, 
and been a credit to the town. For more than half a cen- 
tury, the excellent schools of Medford have presented a 
strong inducement for strangers to settle among us. Cour- 
tesy forbids me to designate by name that private classical 
school taught by a well-tried and successful instructor ; and 
those private boarding and day-schools for young ladies, 
which have had such auroral beginnings. May they have 
unbroken success ! 

MEDFORD LITERARY INSTITUTE. 

This interesting society was formed, March 10, 1853, by 
several intelligent and enterprising young men, for their 
advancement in literature. They began well, and have pro- 
ceeded with enthusiasm. At their anniversary exhibitions, 
the Town Hall is always crowded. Forti et fideli nihil diffi- 
cile. 

MEDFORD SOCIAL LIBRARY. 

This excellent institution was established about 1825, and 
has been silently doing its good work ever since. Turell 
Tufts, Esq., bequeathed to it five hundred dollars, the inte- 
rest of which must be expended annually for the purchase of 
valuable books. 

The constitution says, " The design of the society is to 
form a collection of books strictly useful, promotive of piety 
and good morals, and for the diffusion of valuable informa- 
tion. Books of a light and unedifying character shall not be 
admitted." Price of a share, one dollar ; annual tax, fifty 
cents. Each proprietor may take out two volumes at a time. 
" Any person, by paying ten dollars or more at one time, 
may become an honorary member for life, entitled to take out 
books as a shareholder, but without tax or assessment." 



* EDUCATION. 295 

The selection of books, thus far, has been marked with 
scholarly taste and Christian principle ; and, should the town 
adopt this library, and enlarge it to meet the wants of the 
entire population, and make it free to all, it would be a bene- 
faction of inconceivable value. 

" West Medford Lyceum and Library Association ' ; 
was established by the zeal of Mr. T. P. Smith, and was 
incorporated in 1852. Mystic Hall, built by him, has been 
used for lyceum lectures and similar purposes. Valuable 
books, contributed at first by distinguished individuals from 
abroad and by neighbors, laid the proper foundation for a 
useful and free library. 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL LIBRARIES. 

Each of the religious societies in Medford has expended 
money freely for the purchase of books suited to children. 
The libraries contain, on an average, three hundred volumes ; 
and the books are selected with judgment and taste. Addi- 
tions of new books are made every six months ; and the older 
books are often given to destitute schools in the country. 



TEACHERS LIBRARIES. 

The commentaries and histories which explain the Sacred 
Scriptures are gathered into libraries for the free use of the 
Sunday-school teachers, and are also used as manuals in 
the Bible classes. 

LYCEUM LECTURES. 

These seem to have become an institution. Where socie- 
ties have not been formed, for the purpose of securing 
lecturers, towns have taken up the duty, and large annual 
subscriptions have been made. Thus the ablest scholars have 
been brought before the community, and have instructed and 
charmed thousands by their learning and eloquence. Med- 
ford early adopted the prevalent system ; and, for several 
years, has enjoyed, through the winter, a weekly lecture from 
the circle of favorite orators. The Town Hall has been filled, 
and the most friendly feelings promoted. As each itinerant 



296 HISTORY OF MEDF0R4). 

lecturer prepares but one address in a year, he selects the most 
engrossing topic ; and then, with great study, condenses into 
one hour all the philosophy, wit, and pathos he can com- 
mand. The pyrotechnic batteries of thought are loaded with 
surpassing skill. The consequence is, that the assembly is 
kept at the highest point of intellectual excitement during 
the time of the address. Thus an extraordinary standard of 
public speaking is erected, which the Sunday congregation 
applies with fatal injustice to the one hundred and six ser- 
mons which the stated preacher is annually compelled to 
bring before the same audience. 

Instrumentalities for further education are needed in Med- 
ford. A town-library would be of exceeding value to thou- 
sands, who cannot buy, and will not borrow, the standard 
works they wish to read. Wherever such libraries have 
been established, they have created a taste for study, have 
brought the rich and poor together, have worn away sectional 
and sectarian asperities, and united a town in the noblest 
aims. What can be wiser than to bring the best results of 
the maturest minds within the reach of the inquisitive youth 
or the Christian philanthropist, of the ambitious mechanic or, 
the pious mother ? 

A deepening moral responsibility rests on Christian repub- 
lics. We are addressed on every side by emphatic voices. 
Our Pilgrim ancestors, from the Rock of Plymouth, call 
to us from the invisible past, and command us to follow 
up the two great principles of the church and schoolhouse 
which they have bequeathed to us in trust. So, too, from 
the invisible future, do coming generations call to us, ere 
they arrive, beseeching us to provide for them that instruc- 
tion which shall make them equal to all the demands of an 
advanced civilization. Shall we be deaf to the commands of 
our fathers, or the prayers of our children ? 



TUFTS COLLEGE. 

This is the first college on this continent, or in the world, 
which has been created by the combined efforts, and con- 
trolled by the exclusive agency, of the denomination called 
Universalists. It intends to take the motto of the age, — 
Onward, upward. It begins under the most favoring auspices, 



-5 



© 
P 
P 
(ril 

pi) 






TUFTS COLLEGE. 297 

and will aim at the highest results. Medford looks upon it 
as an object of peculiar interest "within its borders. The 
selection of president and professors is a fortunate one ; and, 
believing that the denomination will be true to itself, we can 
anticipate numbers of intelligent and virtuous young men, 
who, in their old age, will look back with gratitude and joy 
to the happy and prosperous years they spent at Tufts Col- 
lege in Medford. Year after year, under the divine guidance 
and blessing, may this nursery of learning and virtue send 
forth those who shall hasten the coming of universal light, 
universal liberty, and universal love ! 

The following account has been kindly furnished us by 
the president : — 

Tufts College originated in a movement among Universal- 
ists in the United States, who felt it important that the deno- 
mination to which they belong should take a more active part 
in the cause of liberal education. Some ten years ago, a 
number of them met in convention, at New York, to adopt 
measures for establishing a college. For this purpose they 
ordered a subscription to be opened for $100,000, as the 
minimum sum. The enterprise, however, was delayed for 
some years. At length another meeting of the convention 
was held, at which the Rev. O. A. Skinner, now of Boston, 
was appointed agent to obtain and collect the subscription. 
In the summer of 1851, he gave notice that the amount of 
$100,000 was subscribed; and a meeting of the subscribers 
was held in Boston on the 16th and 17th of September of 
that year. The trustees chosen at this meeting selected Wal- 
nut Hill, near the line between Medford and Somerville, for 
the site of the college. To this selection they were in some 
measure influenced by the offer of twenty acres of land on 
the summit, by Charles Tufts, Esq., of Somerville, and also 
by the offer of adjoining lots by two public-spirited gentlemen 
of Medford. In gratitude for a munificent donation by Mr. 
Tufts, the name, Tufts College, was adopted. 

In the spring of 1852, a college charter was granted by 
the Legislature of this Commonwealth. Under the provisions 
of this charter, a board of sixteen trustees was subsequently 
chosen, of which Mr. Oliver Dean, M.D., of Boston, is pre- 
sident. In July, 1852, Rev. Thomas J. Sawyer, D.D., of 
New York, was elected, by the trustees, president of the col- 
lege ; but, he declining to accept the office on the terms pro- 

38 



298 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

posed, Rev. Hosea Ballou, 2d, D.D., of Medford, was chosen, 
in May, 1853, to fill the vacancy. 

The corner-stone of the present college-edifice Avas laid, in 
form, on the 19th of July, 1853, after an able address, deli- 
vered on the spot, by Rev. A. A. Miner, of Boston. The 
building was finished in the spring of 1854. Mr. S. F. Bry- 
ant was the architect. It is a plain structure, of brick, one 
hundred feet by sixty feet, and sixty feet high, containing a 
chapel forty feet by thirty-three feet, and a library-room forty 
feet by twenty-two feet, besides recitation-rooms, lecture- 
rooms, society -rooms, offices, &c, but no dormitories : these 
last will be provided in a boarding-house which is to be 
be erected next summer. 

The course of instruction in Tufts College extends through 
four years, and is, in general, the same as that of other New 
England colleges. With the regular academical course, 
however, it is designed to connect other branches, as soon as 
the academical course shall have been carried into thorough 
operation. A few students are accommodated, for the pre- 
sent year, in the college-building ; but the institution will 
not be regularly opened till about the 1st of September, 
1855. 

TRUSTEES. 

Oliver Dean, M.D., President; Rev. Thomas Whittemore, Vice- 
President ; Rev. Otis A. Skinner, A.M., Secretary ; Benjamin B. 
Mussey, Esq., Treasurer of the College ; Hon. Israel Washburn, 
jun., Orono, Me. ; Rev. Calvin Gardner, Waterville, Me. ; Rev. 
Thomas J. Greenwood, Dover, N.H. ; Rev. L. C. Browne, Hud- 
son, N.Y. ; Rev. Eli Ballou, Montpelier, Vt. ; Silvanus Packard, 
Esq., Boston, Mass. ; Rev. Hosea Ballou, 2d, D.D., Medford, Mass. ; 
Timothy Cotting, Esq., Medford, Mass. ; Hon. Richard Frothing- 
ham, jun., Charlestown, Mass, ; Phineas T. Barnum, Esq., Bridge- 
port, Conn. ; Thomas Crane, Esq., New York City ; Charles 
Rogers, Esq., Philadelphia, Pa. 

FACULTY. 

President, Hosea Ballou, 2/1, D.D., Professor of History and 
of Intellectual Philosophy ; John P. Marshall, A.M., Professor of 
Mathematics and of Physical Science ; William P. Drew, A.B., 
Professor of Ancient Languages and of Classical Literature ; Ben- 
jamin F. Tweed, A.M., Professor of Rhetoric, Logic, and English 
Literature ; Enoch C. Rolfe, M.D., Professor of Physiology and 

Hygiene ; , Professor of Moral Science and of Political 

Economy ; , Professor of Modern Languages. 



TUFTS COLLEGE. 299 

ADMISSION TO THE REGULAR COLLEGE COURSE. 

Applicants for admission must produce certificates of their good 
moral character. If they come from other colleges, certificates also 
of their regular dismission therefrom are required. 

For admission to the Freshman Class, an examination must be 
well sustained in the following studies : 

Latin: Virgil's Bucolics, Georgics, and six books of the ^neid; Cfesar's 
Commentaries or Sallust; Cicero's Select Orations (Folsom's or Johnson's 
edition); Andrews s and Stoddard's Latin Grammar, including Prosody; 
Arnold s Latin Prose Composition, to the Dative. Greek : Felton's or Jacob's 
(^reek Reader (or four books of Homer's Iliad, with three books of Xenophon's 
Anabasis) ; Sophocles', Crosby's, or Kuhner's Greek Grammar, including Pro- 
sody ; Arnold's Greek Prose Composition, to the Moods ; Writing of Greek 
Accents Mathematics: Arithmetic; Smyth's Algebra, to Equations of the 
Second Degree. History: Modern Geography; Worcester's Ancient Geogra- 
phy ; Goodrich's History of the United States. 

For admission to an advanced class, an examination must be well 
sustained, both in these studies and in the studies through which 
such class shall have already passed. 

No person can be admitted after the beginning of the Senior 
Year. 

Examinations for admission will be held on the day after the 
Commencement, and on the Tuesday preceding the beginning of the 
Fall Term. The examinations will begin at eight o'clock, a.m., on 
each of these days. 

Before his admission, every candidate must give a bond of $200 
with two sureties, to pay all his college bills. To be admitted to' 
an advanced standing, he must also pay, or secure the payment of, 
one-half of the tuition which shall have accrued in the previous 
years and terms of the regular course, unless he comes from another 
college ; provided that, if he be admitted at the beginning of the 
Senior Year, the tuition of the Junior Year shall be the only arrears 
required of him. 

Partial Courses of Study. — Persons who do not enter for a col- 
lege degree, and who produce certificates of their good moral cha- 
racter, may be received to such studies, in any class, as they shall, 
on examination, be found qualified to pursue with profit ; and they 
may continue therein at their pleasure, on condition of obeying the 
laws of the college, and paying one-third more than the regular 
tuition for the time they remain. 

COURSE OF STUDY. 

Freshman Class. — First Term. — Latin : Lincoln's Livy ; Zumpt's 
Grammar, for reference ; Roman Antiquities ; Arnold's Latin Prose Compo- 
sition. Greek : Felton's Greek Historians ; Grecian Antiquities ; Arnold's 
Greek Prose Composition. Mathematics : Smyth's Algebra. History • We- 
ber's Outlines, to the "Macedonian Period;" Age of Themistocles, Pericles, 
and Aluibiades, in Smith's History of Greece. Rhetoric : English Grammar ■ 
Elocution ; Murdock and Russell's Orthophony ; Declamations. 

Second Term.— Latin : Livy, continued ; Lincoln's Horace.Odcs and Epodes ; 



300 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Latin Metres ; Latin Prose Composition. Greek : Homer's Odyssey ; Greek 
Prose Composition. Mathematics : Algebra, continued ; Euclid, five books. 
History : Weber, continued to the end of " Ancient History ; " Roman Com- 
monwealth. Natural Theology : Paley's. Rhetoric : English Grammar, and 
Orthophony, continued ; Themes ; Declamations. 

Sophomore Class. — First Term. — Latin : Horace's Satires and Epistles ; 
Cicero de Amicitia ; Writing Latin. Greek : Demosthenes' Olinthiacs and 
Philippics ; Buttraann's and Kuhner's Grammars, for reference ; Writing 
Greek. Mathematics : Euclid, continued ; Smyth's Plane Trigonometry ; 
Surveying ; Navigation. History : Weber, continued to the end of the " Mid- 
dle Ages ; " Hallam's Middle Ages. Revealed Religion : Paley's Evidences. 
Rhetoric : Elocution ; Themes ; Declamations. 

Second Term. — Latin : Cicero de Officiis ; Writing Latin." Greek : Aris- 
tophanes' Clouds ; Greek Metres « Writing Greek. Mathematics : Smyth's 
Calculus ; Spherical Trigonometry. History : Weber, continued to the " Colo- 
nization of America ; " Sismondi's Italian Republics ; English Commonwealth. 
Physiology : Hooker's, with Lectures. Rhetoric : Day's Rhetoric ; Elocu- 
tion ; Themes ; Declamations. 

Junior Class. — First Term. — Latin : Juvenal's Satires ; Latin Trans- 
lations. Greek : JEschylus' Septem contra Thebas ; Greek Translations. 
Physics : Olmsted's Mechanics. History : Weber, continued to the " French 
Revolution;" French Revolution of 1789. Moral Science: Alexander's. 
Rhetoric : Themes ; Declamations. Elective Studies. — French : Fasquelle's 
Exercises ; Saintine's Picciola. Mathematics : Davies's Analytical Geometry. 
Natural History : Lectures. 

Second Term. — Physics : Olmsted's Astronomy. History : Weber, con- 
cluded. Intellectual Philosophy : Wayland's. Rhetoric : Whately's Logic ; 
Themes ; Original Declamations. Hygiene : Lectures. Elective Studies. — 
Latin : Tacitus' Germania and Agricola ; Latin Translations. Greek : Thu- 
cydides ; Greek Translations. French: Collot's Chefs d'ffiuvre Drama- 
tiques. Italian : Ollendorff's Grammar ; La Gerusalemme Liberata. Mathe- 
matics : Bridge's Conic .Sections. 

Senior Class. — First Term. — Physics : Chemistry, with Lectures. 
Intellectual Philosophy : Wayland's. Political Economy : Wayland's. Rhe- 
toric : Whately's Logic ; Themes ; Forensics ; Original Declamations. Elec- 
tive Studies. — Latin : Terence's Andria ; Translations from Greek into 
Latin. Greek : Sophocles' Antigone ; Translations from Latin into Greek. 
German : Adler's Ollendorff and Reader. Mathematics : Davis's Linear 
Perspective. 

Second Term. — Physics : Mineralogy and Geology, with Lectures. Poli- 
tical Economy : Wayland's. Natural and Revealed Religion : Butler's Ana- 
logy. Rhetoric : Lectures on the English Language and Literature ; Themes ; 
Declamations. Elective Studies. — Latin : Cicero pro Cluentio. Greek : 
Demosthenes de Corona. German : Schiller's Thirty Years' War ; Gothe's 
Iphigenia. , Spanish: Ollendorff's Grammar ; Novelas Espanolas. Mathema- 
tics : Davies's Shades and Shadows. 

Public College Exercises. — A public examination of all the 
classes will be held, during not less than four days, immediately 
before the end of each term. There will also be, in each term, a 
public exhibition ; for which parts will be assigned to members of 
the Junior and Senior Classes, according to their general scale of 
merit. 

Religious Observances. — All resident under-graduates, resident 
students in partial courses, and resident officers of instruction, are 
required to attend morning and evening prayers, and the reading of 
the Scriptures, in the chapel. 



GKADUATES. 



301 



They are also required to attend public worship on Sundays, and 
on days of the annual Thanksgiving and Fast, at such places as the 
Faculty may appoint ; provided always that the parents or guar- 
dians may, at the beginning of the college-year, appoint the place of 
public worship for those who are under age ; and that those who are 
of age may, at that time, choose the place for themselves, and 
report it to the Faculty. 

A biblical exercise is held every Saturday evening, which the 
members of all the classes have the privilege of attending. 

Terms, Vacations, and Commencement. — The academical year 
is divided into two terms. The first term of the academical year 
begins six weeks after the second Wednesday of July, and ends on 
the second Wednesday of January. The second term begins six 
weeks after the second Wednesday of January, and ends on the 
second Wednesday of July. 

At the end of each term, there is a vacation of six weeks. 
There are vacations also from the Tuesday evening next before the 
annual Thanksgiving till the following Monday evening, on Christ- 
mas Day, on the day of the annual Fast, on Wednesday and Thurs- 
day of Anniversary Week, and on the Fourth of July. 

The public Commencement is held on the second Wednesday of 
July. 

EXPENSES. 

Tuition $35.00 a year. 

Koom-rent from $10.00 to 15.00 „ 

Use of Library 5.00 „ 

Board, not including washing and fuel 2.50 a week. 

Students, who choose, board themselves. 
Students who keep schools may be absent from college, on that 
duty, for a period not exceeding thirteen weeks, including the win- 
ter vacation ; they continuing their studies the mean while. 

GRADUATES. 



List of persons, born in Medford or once resident there, 
who have received collegiate degrees : — 



Thomas Tufts . . 

Aaron Porter . . 

John Tufts . . . 

Ebenezer Turell . 

Simon Tufts . . 

Ammi R. Cutter . 

Joshua Tufts . . 

Simon Tufts . . 
William Whitmore 

Cotton Tufts . . 
Samuel Brooks 



1701 
1708 
1708 
1721 
1724 
1725 
1736 
1744 
1744 
1749 
1749 



William Symmes . 


. 1750 


Edward Brooks . 


. . 1757 


Samuel Angier 


. 1763 


Simon Tufts . . 


. 1767 


David Osgood . . 


. 1771 


John Bishop . . 


, . 1776 


Ephraim Hall . . 


, . 1776 


Cotton Tufts . . 


. 1777 


William Woodbridge 


. 1780 


George H. Hall . 


. . 1781 


Timothy Bigelow 


. . 1786 



302 



HISTORY OF MEDFOllD. 



Samuel Angier . . 


. 1787 


John Brooks . . . 


. 1787 


Luther Stearns . . 


. 1791 


Hall Tufts .... 


. 1794 


Abner Bartlett . . 


. 1799 


John Hosmer . . . 


.. 1800 


Aaron Hall Putnam . 


. 1800 


John Pierpont . . . 


. 1803 


Daniel Swan . . . 


. 1803 


John Brooks . . . 


. 1805 


Joseph Hall . . . 


1807 


William C. Woodbridge 


1811 


Edward Brooks 


1812 


David Osgood . . . 


1813 


Andrew Bigelow . . . 


1814 


Gorham Brooks . . 


1814 


Jonathan Porter . . . 


1814 


John P. Bigelow . . . 


1815 


Convers Francis . . . 


1815 


Charles Brooks . . . 


1816 


William Ward . . . . 


1816 


Sidney Brooks . . . . 


1819 


Thomas Savage Clay 


1819 


William H. .Furness . . 


1820 


Edward B. Hall . . . 


1820 



George B. Osborn 
John Angier . . 
Ward C. Brooks . 
Caleb Stetson . . 
Charles Angier 
Elijah N. Train . 
John James Gilchrist 
Joseph Angier 
Charles V. Bemis 
George Clisby . . 
Thomas S. Harlow 
Thompson Kidder 
Andrew D. Blanchard 
Horace D. Train . 
Benjamin L. Swan 
Hosea Ballou, 2d . 
Timothy Bigelow . 
Sanford B. Perry . 
James A. Hervey . 
Albert F. Sawyer 
Thomas Meriam Stetson 
George D. Porter 
Peter C. Brooks . 
Gorham Train . . 
Samuel C. Lawrence 



1820 
1821 

1822 
1822 
1827 
1827 
1828 
1829 
1835 
1836 
1836 
1836 
1842 
1842 
1844 
1844 
1845 
1845 
1849 
1849 
1849 
1851 
1852 
1852 
1855 



Medford once had eight under-graduates, at the same time, 



in Harvard College. 



PHYSICIANS. 

For many years the inhabitants of Medford employed the 
physicians of the neighboring towns ; and there was small 
need of medicine where all had simple diet, fresh air, and 
moderate labor. As early as 1720, two doctors appear in the 
town records, — Dr. Oliver Noyce and Dr. Ebenezer Nutting. 
The first died in 1721 ; and the second is not found in the 
records but a year or two afterwards. Of these two practi- 
tioners, not being graduates, nothing has been discovered 
concerning them. 

The name of Dr. John Bishop appears on the tax-bills of 
1726-7, and then vanishes. 

Dr. Simon Tufts, son of Peter, born in Medford, Jan. 31 ; 
1700, died here, Jan. 31, 1747. He graduated at Harvard 
College in 1724. He pursued his medical studies under all 
the advantages which nearness to Boston could give, and be- 
came distinguished in his profession. He is called doctor in 



a 



PHYSICIANS. ° 



03 



the town records, May, 1724. Tne college at that time had 
not commenced the giving of medical degrees. He is called 
« the first physician of Medford." During a short residence 
with his townsman and relative, Rev. John lufts, at New- 
bury, he connected himself with the church there and was 
recommended by that church to the one in Medford, May, 

1734 

To show how much he labored, how well he succeeded, 
and how truly he was loved, we quote here the following 
brief and discriminating notice of him which appeared in the 
public papers immediately after his death : — 

" Medford, Feb. 5, 1747. 
"On the 31st of January, died here, of a convulsive asthma, and 
this day was decently buried, Simon Tufts, Esq., having just com- 
pleted his forty-seventh year. He was a gentleman well descended 
and liberally educated. He was the youngest son of Captain reter 
Tufts, of this town, by his second wife, who was daughter ot the 
Rev Seaborn Cotton, of Hampton. He took his degrees at Harvard 
College in the years 1724 and 1727. He early appied himself to 
the study of physic, and soon became eminent in that profession 
He was honored with three commissions, - one for the peace, in th 
year 1733; another for a special justice in 1741 ; and a third fo 
justice of the quorum, 1743 ; and was very faithful and useful in the 
offices. He was a man of substantial religion, and exhibited the 
virtues of the Christian in all relations, stations, and conditions. 1 n< 
removal of such an excellent person (in these degenerate times, 
calls for lamentation and supplication. Psalm xn. 1 : Help, -Loui 
for the godly man ceaseth ; for the faithful fail from among th« 
children of men.' He has left a sorrowful widow, and seven chil 
d ren) — four sons, and three daughters." 

One hundred and eight years having passed since hi 

death, little more can now be collected concerning him 

Thev who knew him testify that his practice was very exten 

sive, — reaching even to Haverhill and Newbury ; that , h 

enioyed the respect and affection of all who knew him; tha 

the country mourned his loss ; and that funeral sermons wer 

preached at Medford, Boston, Charlestown, and Cambridge 

He was often called to visit the sick at Harvard College ; anc 

thou-h not rich himself, never demanded fees except fro: 

rich students. It is indicative of the industry and econom 

of that age, that, while his oldest son, Simon, was at co leg. 

his father placed him in the family of Mr. Foxcraft, tl 

County Register of Deeds, that he might pay for his boai 

by writing in the office. 



304 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Dr. John Thomas was a medical student under his care, 
and, at the commencement of the Revolution, commanded at 
Dorchester Heights, and afterwards at Ticonderoga, where 
he died of the smallpox. 

The following lines were from the pen of his son, Dr. 
Cotton Tufts, of Weymouth : — 

" Upon the death of my honored father, Simon Tufts, Esq., who died suddenly, 
Jan. 31, 1747, in the evening." 

" Death seized, and snatched my tender father hence, 
To live enthroned in happiness immense. 
Religion, grace, and truth possessed his soul ; 
And heaven-born love he breathed from pole to pole. 
His grateful country owned his signal worth, 
And gave him public life in civil birth. 
A friend to all mankind ; true to every cause, 
Where bound by virtue or his country's laws. 
Sweet peace he loved, and peace he oft prolonged 
When jarring parties wished themselves revenged. 
To vice, the wretch would tell his just disdain ; 
He ne'er the sword of justice held in vain. 
The poor he fed ; their wants he oft supplied : 
The rich and poor, for health, on him relied. 
The church and public spread around his grave 
Tears : these could ne'er their friend and patron save. 
Had tears from this event the husband dear, 
The best of fathers, friend, relation near, 
Detained, he still had blessed our loving sight, 
Nor had we seen the sorrows of that night. 
Methinks I hear some blissful seraph say : — 
'Mark well, my friend, the strait, the shining way ; 
That is the path thy Christian neighbor trod, — 
The path that ends in happiness and God.' " 

Rev. Dr. Colman, of Boston, in his sermon, preached at 
Medford, April 6, 1735, after the death of his daughter, 
Mrs. Jane Turell, speaks thus of Dr. Tufts : " I leave a 
grateful record of my particular obligation to the pious and 
beloved physician of the town, who, to and even beyond his 
power, has always ministered gratis to the pastor and his 
family. The Lord show kindness to the house of his ser- 
vant!" 

1725, he built the house, which yet stands, on the south- 
east corner of Forest and Main Streets, in the market, front- 
ing the bridge ; and it well represents the second style of 
building adopted by our ancestors. 




PHYSICIANS. 305 

Two sons of Dr. Tufts, Simon and Cotton, studied medi- 
cine. Simon, the eldest, finished his three years of prepara- 
tion with his father just before that father's death. The 
inhabitants of Medford were anxious to have this promising 
young man become their physician, and invited him to the 
office ; which he accepted. Entering upon his practice with 
confidence and reputation given in advance, as if his father 
had bequeathed to him his knowledge and experience, he 
had only to answer the expectations of his friends. He did 
this, and more. He was born Jan. 16, 1727, and graduated at 
Harvard College in 1744. At his father's death he had not 
attained his majority. The care of his mother and her six 
children devolved, in great measure, on him. Encouraged 
by friends at home, and having the promise of aid in his 
medical practice from Dr. Brattle, of Cambridge, he took 
courage. His mild yet truthful character commanded the 
respect, while it won the affection, of all. His classmates 
considered him a ripe Latin scholar, and a boon companion. 
He had the talent of agreeableness. He received from his 
father the old-fashioned habits of urbanity, which he observed 
with a sort of religious strictness. No one passed him unno- 
ticed. It was his custom to lift his hat to each one he met, 
no matter what the age or color. It was said he wore out 
two hats where other gentlemen wore out one. His example 
was so attractive and so uniform that he moulded the man- 
ners of the town. It was in this school that his pupil, John 
Brooks, caught the last finish of dignity and grace for which 
he was signalized. Aug. 30, 1770, he received from the 
king the commission of justice of the peace, signed by Go- 
vernor Hutchinson. 

Dr. Tufts had the entire practice of Medford, and was 
frequently called into the neighboring towns- When the 
question of Independence came up, he took side for it with 
warmth, and devoted himself to the wounied soldiers, who 
were brought here after the battle of Buaker Hill. He was 
the most intimate friend of Colonel iloyal, who appointed 
him the sole agent of his large estate : and it was by the skilful 
and manly conduct of Dr. Tufts that the confiscation of the 
colonel's property was deferred. In municipal affairs he 
took a lively interest, and served the town in some important 
offices, notwithstanding his professional engagements. When 
quite a young man, November, 1745, he made his public pro- 
fession of Christianity, and lived consistently therewith. In 

39 



306 HISTORY OF MEDKOKI). 

his speculative opinions, he inclined to what was then called 
Arminianism. He was so interested in the virtuous character 
and thirst for knowledge of young John Brooks that he 
almost adopted him as a son. He took hi» pupil under a 
written indenture, as an apprentice for seven years, to learn 
the science and practice of medicine ; and the teacher was as 
faithful as the pupil was ambitious. He put him to a classical 
school, took him into his family, directed his studies in medi- 
cine, and at length invited him to Medford, and resigned to 
him his practice. To show the standing which Dr. Tufts had as 
a scholar, we need only mention that he was one of the first in 
the State who felt the need of a medical society ; and he was 
called to the first meeting for consummating the plan, which 
meeting took place on the third Monday in March, 1765, at 
Gardner's tavern, on Boston Neck. Of those who have been 
members of that distinguished society, Dr. Tufts's name stands 
the second, in the order of time, on the college catalogue. 
A fall from his horse brought on bleeding of the lungs ; and 
he died Dec. 81, 1786, aged sixty, leaving a property of 
£2,676. Is. Sd. 

On the tombstone of these two physicians we read the 
following : "Both eminent in their profession ; just towards 
man, and devout towards God." 

It is worthy of record, that one medical pupil of the father, 
and another medical pupil of the son, became distinguished 
officers in the revolutionary army. 

Dr. Cotton Tufts, born 1732, brother of the above, gra- 
duated at Harvard College 1749 ; studied medicine with his 
brother ; settled in Weymouth ; became the chosen friend and 
agent of Hon. John Adams ; was elected member of the 
American Academy of Arts and Sciences ; a vice-president 
and president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He 
died in 1815, revered for his Christian piety, beloved for 
his extensive usefulness, and admired for his common sense. 
Dr. Aaron Putnam, who married Rebecca Hall, daughter 
of Aaron Hall, of Medford, May 9, 1780, lived in this town 
ten years ; but his medical practice was so limited that he 
removed to Charlestown, and formed a partnership with 
Messrs. Morse and Woodbridge, in the baking business. In 
this he was not successful. He died in Charlestown. 

Dr. John Brooks had not the advantages of a collegiate 
education ; but this fact stimulated him to make up for it by 
extraordinary application. The consequence was, a self-made 



PHYSICIANS. 307 

man of the highest type. After completing his medical 
studies with Dr. Tufts, he settled in Reading, and went 
thence to the army. After the Revolution, the people of 
Medford called him, as by acclamation, to become their phy- 
sician. He accepted ; and here through a long life he had no 
competitor, and witnessed only an increase of business and 
popularity. It was common for him to ride, in his practice, 
as far as Andover, Lynn, Watertown, and Boston. He re- 
ceived the honorary degree of master of arts, in 1787, from 
Harvard and Yale Colleges. From Harvard he received the 
degree of doctor of medicine in 1810, and that of doctor of 
laws in 1817. 

Dr. Luther Stearns, who came to Medford as a teacher, 
occasionally practised as a physician ; but his duties to his 
school presented obstacles to his wide employment in medi- 
cal duties, and he finally relinquished the profession. His 
very acute sensibilities must have made him most acceptable 
in a sick-chamber ; while in surgical cases they may have 
been a hinderance. On the election of Dr. Brooks to the 
office of governor, he resigned his medical practice to his 
pupil and friend, — 

Dr. Daniel Swan, of Medford, — who graduated at Harvard 
College in 1803. He first entered on practice at Brighton, 
in 1808, where for eight years he had all the success he an- 
ticipated. He was invited by the inhabitants of Medford, in 
1816, to become their physician ; and, having obeyed the call, 
he has practised nearly forty years as the established physician 
of the place. Very early he turned his attention to homoeo- 
pathy ; and, as soon as he could procure the books to examine 
it scientifically, he became a convert to its principles. His 
practice did not much diminish on this account ; and he may 
be said almost to have carried the town with him to his new 
faith. He thinks his success has been much greater under 
the new system. As he has withdrawn from general practice 
on account of age, it would seem affectation to suppress here 
what is every day repeated in the street, — namely, that every- 
body respects and loves him, and calls him the "good 
Samaritan." A graphic writer says of him in print, "His 
beneficent career is so interwoven with each thread of his ex- 
istence, that it will be impossible to do him justice until the 
dead rise and give their account." 

Dr. David Osgood (H.C. 1813), born in Medford, selected 
Boston as his home ; and, first as an allopathic, and then 



308 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

(after a visit to Dr. Hahnemann in Europe) as a homoeopathic 
practitioner, has held a high rank. He is a member of the 
Massachusetts Medical Society. 

Dr. Samuel Gregg, born in New Boston, N.H., came to 
Medford and commenced practice in 1826, and for fourteen 
years pursued the allopathic system of cure. By a visit to 
Dr. Vandenburg, in New York, he became acquainted with 
the homoeopathic system, and has since used none other. 
For the last few years he has been a most successful practi- 
tioner in Boston, where he has resided. 

Dr. Milton Fuller, who has practised acceptably in Med- 
ford and the neighboring towns for the last twelve years, on 
the homoeopathic system, has just removed to Boston. 

Of the present physicians of the town, now in full practice, 
and justly esteemed by all who know them, the usual rules 
of courtesy forbid us to speak. Drs. Bemis and Dorr prac- 
tise on the allopathic system. 

In reviewing the last century and a quarter, we find that 
the terms of service with four physicians have filled up this 
long period ! Medford certainly has not been given to 
change ; and was ever town more favored in its physicians ? 
They were men of medical science, of practical skill, of quick 
sensibility, and irreproachable morals. How steady and 
powerful the beneficent action of such Christian professors 
amid the most trying scenes of human life ! What so disgust- 
ing as a profane and licentious physician ? There are some 
noble scholars in the medical profession who maintain that 
there are very small advances made in therapeutic science, 
compared with those in kindred branches. They are awaking 
to the demands of the age ; and the happiest results will in 
due time follow. 

LAWYERS. 

The number of lawyers resident in Medford has been 
very small, — the quarrelling propensities of the people 
smaller still. Office business has been the chief source of 
emolument. Hon. Timothy Bigelow came from Groton, to 
reside in Medford, in 1808 ; but he relied on the whole county 
for business, and had as much as, perhaps more than, any other 
lawyer. Standing so eminently at the bar, he accumulated a 
fortune by his indefatigable labors. As a senator, a mem- 
ber of the Executive Council, a representative, and speaker 



LAWYERS. 309 

of the House, he was placed among the most efficient and 
accomplished. For many years he represented Medford in 
the General Court ; and during the whole time he filled the 
speaker's chair with signal success. He was a member of 
the American Academy. He was a professor of Christianity, 
and a constant attendant on public worship. He died May, 
1821, aged fifty-four. 

Abner Bartlett, Esq., whose name first appears on the town 
records in 1808, was born in Plymouth, and graduated at 
Harvard College 1799. He preferred not to appear as an 
advocate before a jury. His taste led him to the unostenta- 
tious duties of a legal life ; and for forty years he attended 
acceptably to all that Medford needed. As a representative, 
legal adviser, town officer, and justice of the peace, he was as 
faithful to duty as is the needle to the pole. He belonged 
to the working-men, but was one of the " festina lente ' ; 
school. He loved human law much ; but he loved the divine 
law more. No one distinguished more clearly between 
things that differ, and no one more heartily approved those 
that were excellent. Truthfulness was interwoven with 
every fibre of his soul ; and he was for reform in its best 
sense. He did not 

" Crook the pregnant hinges of his knee, 
That thrift might follow fawning. 

Among the inhabitants of Medford, there has not probably 
been a man who has served the town in so many and respon- 
sible offices as this gentleman. He was not made for a leader ; 
he had not that kind of force, but left the race to those who 
coveted the laurels. He was a faithful member of the 
church, and all but revelled in spiritual disquisitions. As a 
neighbor he was most friendly, as a critic most caustic, and as 
a wit most ready. He died Sept. 3, 1850, aged seventy-four. 
Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. 

Jonathan Porter, Esq., born in Medford, devoted the ener- 
gies of a strong mind and a ripe scholarship to the science of 
law ; and, while his health allowed, he practised his profes- 
sion in Boston. For many years past he has been an invalid, 
confined to his house ; but he has been, nevertheless, a dili- 
gent student in literature and the classics. He has enter- 
tained sickness as he would entertain an angel, and has 
hallowed all his sufferings by a meek submission. 

Sanford B. Perry, Esq., has taken the place of Mr. Bart- 



310 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

lett, and has already been elected a member of the Senate of 
Massachusetts. May it be long before his name can come 
under the care of the historian. 

A similar wish we may express for Thomas S. Harlow, 
Esq., who is a permanent and valuable resident in Medford, 
but attends to his professional business in Boston. 



PUBLIC CHARACTERS. 

Medford has furnished its share of public characters, who 
have done it honor ; and they include a governor, lieutenant- 
governor, councillors, senators, representatives, clergymen, 
physicians, lawyers, authors, two professors in colleges, a 
mayor of Boston, and military commanders in the army and 
navy of the United States. We may be allowed to signalize 
our ladies, who have been called to public stations. Two 
have represented the country, as wives of ministers, at the 
Court of St. James ; and another has written and published 
more perhaps than any other female in the United States. 



AUTHORS. 

The following list of printed works contains all that have 
come to our knowledge. Names in the order of gradua- 
tion : — 

REV. EBENEZER TURELL. 

Essay on Witchcraft 1728 

Biographical Notice of Mrs. Jane Colman Turell .... 1735 

A Direction to my People in Relation to the Present Times 1742 
Mr. Turell's Dialogue between a Minister and his Neighbor 

about the Times 1742 

Biographical Notice of Rev. Benjamin Colman .... 1749 

MRS. JANE COLMAN TURELL. 

Her literary productions are noticed elsewhere. 

RET. DAVID OSGOOD. 
Sermons. 

On the Annual and National Thanksgiving 1783 

At the Installation of Rev. Peter Thatcher, in Brattle-street 

Church, Boston 1785 

Before the Ancient and Honorable Artillery, in Boston . . 1788 

At Ordination of Rev. N. Thayer, in Lancaster .... 1793 

On the Annual Thanksgiving - 1794 

On the Day of the National Thanksgiving 1795 



AUTHORS. 311 

On the Death of a Child, killed by a Gun . . ^ . . . . 1797 
Before the Annual Convention of the Congregational Mini- 
sters of Massachusetts 1798 

At the Ordination of Rev. Leonard Woods, at Newbury . 1798 
The Devil let Loose ; or, the Woe occasioned by his wrath- 
ful Appearance, — a Sermon on Fast Day 1799 

On the Death of General Washington 1799 

Dudlean Lecture ; Validity of Presbyterian Ordination, — 

delivered in the Chapel of Harvard College 1802 

At the Funeral of Rev. Joseph Roby, at Lynn .... 1803 
The Validity of Baptism by Sprinkling, and the Right of 

Infants to that Ordinance 1804 

On Family Religion 1808 

At the Annual Election 1809 

At the University in Cambridge 1810 

A Solemn Protest against the late Declaration of War . . 1812 
At the Ordination of the Rev. Convers Francis, in Water- 
town 1819 

Volume of Sermons, pp. 469 1824 



SAMUEL HALL. 



He was born in Medford, November, 1740, and served 
his apprenticeship, at the printing-business, with his uncle, 
Daniel Fowle, of Portsmouth. He began business in 1763, 
at Newport, R.I., in company with Anne Franklin. He left 
Newport in March, 1768, and opened a printing-office in 
Salem in April, and commenced the publication of the 
" Essex Gazette," Aug. 2 of that year. In 1772, he 
admitted his brother Ebenezer as partner in trade ; and 
the firm was Samuel and Ebenezer Hall. They remained in 
Salem until May, 1775, when they removed to Cambridge, 
and printed in Stoughton Hall. Their paper was then called 
" New England Chronicle and Salem Gazette." Ebenezer 
was born in Medford, September, 1749, and died in Febru- 
ary, 1776, aged twenty-seven. He learned the art of print- 
ing from his brother. He was a good workman, a steady 
young man, and promised to be an able editor. 

After the death of Ebenezer, his brother Samuel removed 
to Boston, and remained there till 1781, when he returned 
to Salem, and, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 1781, published the 
" Salem Gazette." The last sheet of this paper which he 
issued was on Thursday, Nov. 22, 1785. After this, he 
removed to Boston ; and on Monday, Nov. 26, of that month, 
he issued the first sheet of the " Massachusetts Gazette." 
He died Oct. 30, 1807, aged sixty-seven. He was an able 



312 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

writer, and an impartial editor ; a very industrious man, and 
a friendly neighbor ; a true American patriot, and a humble, 
pious Christian. 

REV. JOHN PIEUPONT. 

The Portrait, a Political Poem 1812 

Airs of Palestine, a Religious Poem 1816 

Sermon, " What think ye of Christ ? " 1823 

Sermon, " Knowledge is Power," — Annual Fast .... 1827 
Sermon occasioned by the Death, at Sea, of Rev. Dr. Holley, 

his immediate Predecessor 1827 

Sermon before the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com- 
pany 1828 

Sermon, The Object of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ . 1828 
Sermon preached at Northfield, Mass., Feb. 27, 1828, at the 

Ordination of Mr. Samuel Presbury 1828 

Sermon, " New Heavens and a New Earth " 1830 

Sermon, "The Fashion of this World passeth away" . . 1830 

Sermon, The Garden of Graves 1832 

Sermon, The Great Salvation 1833 

Sermon, Ephesian Letters 1833 

Sermon preached at Northfield, Mass., March 8, at the Or- 
dination of Mr. Oliver C. Everett 1837 

Sermon, Angelic Ministrations 1837 

Address to the Congregation, at the Installation of Mr. 

Henry A. Miles, at Lowell 1836 

Sermon, The Moral Rule of Political Action 1839 

Sermon, The Reformer and the Conservative 1839 

Sermon, Annual Fast 1840 

The Airs of Palestine, and other Poems, — a volume of 

Miscellaneous Poems 1840 

Sermon, "I have lost my Children, and am Desolate" . . 1841 

Sermon, " The Prophets, — do they live for ever? "... 1842 

Sermon, The Covenant with Judas 1842 

Sermon, " Man dieth, and wasteth away " 1843 

Charge, at the Installation of Rev. John T. Sargent, at So- 

merville, Feb. 18, 1846 1846 

Sermon, " Despise not the Little Ones " 1850 

The American First Class Book 1823 

The National Reader 1827 

These were followed by " The Introduction to the National 
Reader," " The Young Reader," and " The Little Learner." 

1854, " The New Reader " was compiled, and " The Ameri- 
can First Class Book," and " The National Reader " revised. 

Between 1838 and 1845, Mr. Pierpont published nume- 
rous documents, in pamphlet form, which make up his part 
of " The Hollis-street Controversy." 



AUTHORS. 313 

■WILLIAM CHANNING WOODBRIDGE. 

Modern School Geography and Atlas, eleventh edition. 
Annals of Education, editor. 

Woodbridge and Willard's Geography ; accompanied by an Atlas, 
Physical and Political, for the Use of the Higher Classes. 

REV. ANDREW BIGELOW. 

This gentleman has published a large octavo volume, 
describing his travels in Europe, and several sermons, and 
very valuable reports respecting the ministry to the poor in 
Boston. Of the much that he has written so well, we regret 
that no catalogue of his printed works could be procured. 

REV. CONVERS FRANCIS. 

A Sermon at the Ordination of Rev. Benjamin Kent as As- 

sociate Pastor with Rev. John Allyn, D.D., Duxbury . lS^b 

On Experimental Religion * * 

Errors in Education : a Discourse at the Anniversary ot the 

Derby Academy, in Hingham, May 21 . • • • • • • ltwej 

Address delivered on the Fourth of July, 1828, at Water- 

o lo^o 

A Discourse before the Middlesex Bible Society, in Bedford 1828 
An Historical Sketch of Watertown, Mass., from the first 
Settlement of the Town to the Close of its Second Cen- 
, / . < looU 

Sermon on the Presence of God with the Good Man. 

A Sermon at the Ordination of the Rev. Oliver Stearns over 

the Second Congregational Society in Northampton . . 18dl 

Sermon on the Value of enlightened Views of Religion . l«dl 

The Christian Charge described by the Apostle Peter . . 18dJ 

Discourse at Plymouth, Mass., Dec. 22 1«^ 

Sermon on Love to Christ. 

Sermon on Grace as connected with Salvation. 

Christianity a purely internal Principle. 

Christ the Way to God. 

"The Dust to Earth, the Spirit to God". ...... i°o6 

A Dudlean Lecture before the University of Cambridge, 
May 8, 1833, — Popery and kindred Principles un- 
friendly to the Improvement of Man 1833 

Three Discourses (printed together) in Watertown ; two on 
leaving the Old Meeting-house, and one at the Dedica- 
tion of the New • • 1836 

The Life of John Eliot, the Apostle to the Indians, — vol. v. 

in Sparks's American Biography 1836 

"The Death of the Aged" , 18 41 

The Life of Sebastian Rasle, Missionary to the Indians,— 

vol. vii., new series, of Sparks's American Biography . 1845 

40 



314 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



' 



In the " Collections of the Massachusetts Historical So- 
ciety " are the following papers : — 

Memoir of Rev. John Allyn, D.D., of Duxbury .... 1836 

Memoir of Dr. Gamaliel Bradford 1846 

Memoir of Hon. Judge Davis 1849 

The following articles in the " Christian Disciple," new 
series : — 

On the Use of the "Word Mystery, vol. ii. ; Remarks on Matt, xxviii. 
19, vol. iii. ; The Gospel a New Creation, vol. iv. ; Obituary 
Notice of Rev. Dr. Osgood, vol. iv. 

The following articles in the " Christian Examiner : " — 

Reason and Faith, vol. iii. ; Article on Dr. Robert South' s Dis- 
courses, vol iv. ; Article on Dr. Paley's Life and Writings, vol. 
v. ; Article on Dr. Young's Library of Old English Prose Wri- 
ters, vol. vi., new series ; Article on Crombie's Natural Theology, 
vol. vii., new series ; Article on Reinhard's Plans and Memoirs, 
&c, vol. viii., new series. 

In the " American Monthly Review," the following : — 
Review of Memoirs of Oberlin 1832 

In the " Unitarian Advocate : " — 
On Isaiah lxiv. 6 ; The Friendship of the World. 

In the " Scriptural Interpreter : " — 
St. Paul's Combat at Ephesus 1832 

In the " Juvenile Miscellany," edited by Mrs. Child, the 
following : — 

Several Translations from Herder, at different times ; several 
Illustrations of Scripture, at different times. 

Right Hand of Fellowship at the Ordination of Rev. Charles 

Brooks, in Hingham 1821 

The Address to the Phi Beta Kappa Society 1829 

Obituary Notice of Rev. Dr. Foster, of Brighton .... 1829 
Address to the Society at the Ordination of Rev. T. B. Fox, 

Newburyport »....-... 1831 

Charge at the Installation of Rev. Edward B. Hall, Provi- 
dence, R.1 1832 

Address to the Society at the Ordination of Rev. John Pier- 

pont, jun., Lynn 1843 

Obituary Notice of Rev. Samuel Ripley . 1847 

Address to the Society at the Ordination of Rev. Horatio 

• Stebbins, in Fitchburg 1851 

Obituary Notice of Miss Eliza Townsend 1854 



AUTHORS. 



315 



MRS. LYDIA MARIA CHILD. 

Hobomok, an Indian Story *°*4 

Rebels, a Tale of the Revolution • • J°f> 

Juvenile Miscellany, 16 vols., edited . . . from 1826 to 18d4 

The Girl's Own Book l™] 

The Mother's Book J°** 

The Oasis, an Antislavery Annual l°*j 

Appeal in behalf of the Africans 1°^ 

History of Women, 2 vols • 1°°° 

Philothea, a Grecian Romance • • • 1° 6b 

Letters from New York, 2 vols T »a^ 

Fact and Fiction 1Q 7? e 

Flowers for Children, 3 vols tels 

Life of Isaac T. Hopper • • 185d 

The Progress of Religious Ideas through successive Ages, 

3vols.° 1855 

REV. HOSEA BALLOTJ. 

Contributions to the Universalist Magazine * 81 ?q™ 

A Sermon delivered at Roxbury, January 1822 

A Sermon delivered at the Installation of the Rev. Thomas 

G. Farnsworth, in Haverhill, Mass., April 12 ... . 1826 
The Ancient History of Universalism, from the time of the 
Apostles to its Condemnation in the Fifth General Coun- 
cil, A.D. 553 ; with an Appendix, tracing the Doctrine 

down to the Era of the Reformation 18 ^ 9 

Articles in the "Universalist Expositor" ?oqq 

Reply to Tract No. 224 of the American Tract Society . . 18d«J 
Introduction to an American edition of the History of the 
Crusades against the Albigenses in the Thirteenth Cen- 
tury, by J. C. L. Sismondi / ■ 18dd 

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Univer- 
salist Societies and Families ■• • • • 18dy 

Articles in the "Universalist Quarterly and General Re- 
view" 1844 - 55 

A few Contributions to Religious Newspapers. 

REV. CHARLES BROOKS. 

Perils of Truth in Controversy J^SO 

Address before Hingham Peace Society *<|oa 

Address before Scituate Temperance Society J«JJ 

Family Prayer-book,— 17th edition, 1853 ; 1st edition . . |»^ 

Annual Address before Old Colony Peace Society . - • J8Jd 

Account of St. Thome Christians ^f 6 

Abstract of the History of the Jews f °** 

Description of the Jewish Festivals . . . • • • ■ • J° 

Daily Monitor, — Reflections for each Day in the \ear . . 18^0 

New Year's Sermon on Procrastination ■ • jj*^ 

Prayers for Young Persons 



i 



316 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Biography of Eminent Men and "Women, 2 vols 1832 

Visit to Vaucluse, France 1833 

Visit to Mount Vesuvius during an Eruption, February . . 1834 

Leaves from a Journal, — Carnival and Holy Week at Rome 1835 

Discourse at the Funeral of Rev. Jacob Flint, Cohasset . 1835 
Prussian System of Education, &c, — Lectures delivered 
before the Legislatures of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 

Vermont, and Connecticut 1836 

History of Preaching in New England . 1836 

Oration at Quincy, July 4 1837 

Normal Schools, — Lecture before American Institute of 

Instruction, at Worcester 1837 

System of Education in Holland, — Introductory Lecture 

before the American Institute of Instruction, at Lowell . 1838 
" Letters of a Foreign Correspondent ; " being Communica- 
tions from Europe, on Science, Natural History, Education, 

Pauperism, Fine Arts, and Religion 1838-44 

Artesian Wells, — Account of the first one at Paris, France 1841 
Parisian Linguist, — an easy Method of obtaining a true 

Pronunciation of French 1842 

American School of Fine Arts, — a Speech made in Rome, 

Italy, Feb. 22 1843 

Remarks at Annual Meeting of the American Unitarian 

Association 1844 

Natural History, — A Lecture before the American Institute 

of Instruction, at Portland 1844 

Protestantism in France, " Christian Examiner" .... 1844 
Christian in his Closet, — Volume of Prayers for Individuals ; 

2d edition 1845 

Superintendence of the Boston Schools 1845 

Improvisations of Italy, — Account of Rosa Taddei, as wit- 
nessed at Rome in 1843 1845 

Annual Report of the School Committee of Boston . . . 1846 

Remarks on Education, Peace, and Labor, in Europe, 2d ed. 1846 

Elementary Course of Natural History, — Ornithology . 1847 

Account of Richfield Springs, New York 1847 

Ride through the Gulf, Green Mountains, October . . . 1847 
Four Annual Reports of the Sunday-school Society: 1. On 
the Evils existing ; 2. On the Remedies ; 3. On the Fa- 
mily; 4. Statistics of Schools in United States . . . 1847-50 

Plan of a Farm-school for City Boys 1849 

Sermon on the Cholera, Greenfield . 1849 

Concluding Lecture, — American Institute of Instruction ; 

On the Duties of Legislatures, — at Montpelier, Vt. . . 1849 

Address at Dedication of Brooks Schoolhouse . . . , . 1851 

Sanatory Survey of the State, " Christian Examiner" . . 1851 

On Marriage of First Cousins 1852 

History of Medford 1855 



AUTHORS. 317 

Contributions to Silliman's Journal ; Journals of Education 
in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New 
York, and Ohio ; North American Review ; Knicker- 
bocker ; Graham's Magazine ; Friend of Peace ; Chris- 
tian Citizen ; Colonization Tracts ; Christian Examiner ; 
Unitarian Miscellany ; Monthly Religious Magazine. 

KEV. WILLIAM H. EURNESS. 

Remarks on the Four Gospels 1836 

Jesus and his Biographers 1838 

The Spirit of the Pilgrims ; an Oration delivered before the 

Society of the Sons of New England of Philadelphia, Dec. 

22 1846 

Derby Academy Lecture, — Doing before Believing . . 1847 
An Address delivered before the Art Union of Philadelphia 1848 
Mirror of Nature, translated from the German of G. H. 

Schubert . 1849 

Gems of 'German Verse; containing the Song of the Bell, 

and other Translations by various hands 1851 

A History of Jesus, 2d edition, with Introduction and Notes 1853 
Domestic Worship. 

Discourses 1855 

The Kingdom of Heaven, an Ordination Sermon at Somer- 

ville, Mass. 
Faith in Christ, Ordination of Mr. Hodges at Barre, 

Mass. 

REV. EDWARD B. HALL. 

A Sketch of the Life and Character of the Hon. Samuel 

Howe, from the " Christian Examiner " 1828 

A Sermon on Fear as a Religious Principle 1832 

A Sermon on Old Age 1835 

Two Discourses, comprising a History of the First Congre- 
gational Church in Providence, after the Close of a Cen- 
tury from the Formation of the Church, with an Appen- 
dix 1836 

The Temperance Reform, from the " Christian Examiner," 

March • 1840 

Discourse on the National Fast, after the Death of President 

Harrison 1841 

Discourse on the Death of William E. Channing, D.D. . . 1842 
Christians forbidden to fight. Address before the Rhode 

Island Peace Society 1844 

Discourse in behalf of the Children's Friend Society . . . 1845 
The Punishment of Death, from the " North American 

Review" 1845 

The Value of a Man ; a Discourse occasioned by the Death 

of Henry Wheaton 1848 

Memoir of Mary L. Ware, wife of Henry Ware, jun. . . 1853 



.318 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

The Spirit of Truth ; a Discourse at the Dedication of the 
new Divinity Hall, in the Meadville Theological School, 
p a . 1854 

The Scriptural Doctrine of Good Works. 

What is it to be a Unitarian ? 

The Atonement. 

No Professed Religion. 

The Life and Times of John Howland ; a Discourse deli- 
vered before the Rhode Island Historical Society. 

REV. CALEB STETSON. 

An Oration delivered at Lexington, July 4 1825 

A Sermon preached before the Ancient and Honorable Ar- 
tillery Company, June 7 1830 

Tracts of the American Unitarian Association : — 

The Apostle Paul a Unitarian ; Piety at Home ; Domestic Wor- 
ship. 

Articles in the " Christian Examiner : " — 
The Temperance Movement ; Harriet Martineau's Society in Ame- 
rica ; The Word, — Exposition of John i. ; Margaret Fuller's 
Summer on the Lakes ; The Log Cabin. 

Articles in the " Unitarian Advocate : " — 

The Saviour's Temptation in the Wilderness ; The Saviour's Agony 

in the Garden. 
A Sermon on the Burning of the Ursuline Convent . . . 1834 
Address to the Society in New Bedford, at the Ordination of 

Joseph Angier • . . 1835 

Two Discourses preached to the First Congregational Soci- 
ety in Medford ; one on leaving the Old Church, and one 

at the Dedication of the New 1839 

Intuition of God ; a Sermon 1840 

Sermon on the State of the Country 1842 

Sermon on the Principle of Reform, preached at the Ordi- 
nation of John Pierpont, jun., January 1843 

Address to the Society in Somerville, at the_Ordination of 

John T. Sargent 1846 

REV. NATHANIEL HALL. ' 

Two Discourses preached on the Sunday after Ordination . 1835 
A Sermon preached on the Sunday after the Resignation of 

Rev. Dr. Harris as Colleague Pastor 1836 

An Address at the Funeral of Rev. T. M. Harris, D.D. . . 1842 
A Sermon at the Ordination of Rev. Hiram Withington, 

Leominster, Mass 1844 

A Sermon occasioned by the Death of Mrs. John Howe, 

and others 1844 



AUTHORS. 319 

A Sermon on doing justly 1845 

A Sermon on the Death of Children 1845 

A Sermon at the Ordination of Rev. Frank P. Appleton, 

Danvers, Mass 1846 

A Sermon on the Limits of Civil Obedience 1851 

A Sermon commemorative of the Life and Services of Ro- 

• bert Thaxter, M.D 1852 

A Sermon on the Death of Mr. James Pierce 1853 

A Sermon preached at "West Cambridge after the Death of 

Rev. James F. Brown 1853 

MRS. JANE TURELL. 

This lady, daughter of Rev. Benjamin Colman, D.D., was 
born in Boston, Feb. 25, 1708 ; was married to Rev. Ebe- 
nezer Turell, of Medford, Aug. 11, 1726 ; joined the church, 
Oct. 29, 1727 ; and died March 26, 1735. She had three 
children, all of whom died early. 

Some further notice of this talented, accomplished, and 
Christian lady is required at our hands ; and we gladly rely 
on the statements contained in "two sermons, preached at 
Medford, April 6, 1735, by Benjamin Colman ; " and " Me- 
moirs of her Life and Death, by Ebenezer Turell." 

" Before her second year was completed, she could speak dis- 
tinctly, knew her letters, and could relate many stories out of the 
Scriptures to the satisfaction and pleasure of the most judicious. I 
have heard that Governor Dudley, with other wise and polite gen- 
tlemen, have placed her on a table, and, sitting around it, owned 
themselves diverted with her stories. Before she was four years 
old (so strong and tenacious was her memory), she could say the 
greater part of the Assembly's Catechism, many of the Psalms, 
some hundred lines of the best poetry, read distinctly, and make 
pertinent remarks on many things she read." 

Her father devoted himself to her education. She inhe- 
rited a poetic talent ; and some verses written by her, in the 
beginning of her eleventh year, show its cultivation. In her 
youthful diary we find the following : — 

" 1. Thank God for my immortal soul, and that reason and under- 
standing which distinguish me from the lower creation. 

" 2. For my birth in a Christian country, in a land of light, 
where the true God and Jesus Christ are known. 

" 3. For pious and honoi'able parents, whereby I am favored 
beyond many others. 

" 4. For faithful and godly ministers, who are from time to time 
showing me the way of salvation. 

"5. For a polite as well as Christian education. 



320 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

" 6. For restraining grace, that I have been withheld from more 
open and gross violations of God's holy laws." 

Before her marriage, she laid down the following rules : — 

" 1. I will admit the addresses of no person who is not descend- 
ed of pious and creditable parents. 

" 2. Who has not the character of a strict moralist, — sober, tem- 
perate, just, and honest. 

" 3. Diligent in his business, and prudent in matters. 

" 4. Fixed in his religion, a constant attender on the public wor- 
ship, and who appears not in God's house with the gravity becoming 
a Christian. 

" 5. Of a sweet and agreeable temper ; for if he be owner of all 
the former good qualifications, and fails here, my life will be still 
uncomfortable." 

These rules governed her in her choice. She had that 
elasticity of mind and buoyancy of heart which belonged to 
her nervous, bilious temperament. Capable of the tenderest 
emotions, and being a ready lover of beauty and virtue, it 
was not strange that she should be interested in a young 
gentleman whom she had seen so much at her father's house, 
and whom that father had taught her to respect. Her rolling 
black eye had often telegraphed to his heart ; and Mr. Turell 
was not so much surprised as delighted to receive the fol- 
lowing anonymous letter : — 

" Sir, — You are to me the most agreeable person in the world ; 
and I should think myself very happy if Providence should order it 
as I desire ; but, sir, I must conceal my name, fearing you should 
expose me ; and if you do not incline to find me out, I must submit 
to my hard fate ; but if you comply with my desire, I am your 
obliged friend." 

" Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." 
Love's polarity in this letter-missive was not to be mistaken ; 
and the consequence of it was the marriage above recorded ; 
and a happy marriage it was. She loved to love. The fol- 
lowing letter from Dr. Colman to his daughter is pleasant 
proof of domestic joy : — 

" Boston, Dec. 20, 1726. 

" My Dear, — Your letter of the 9th of this month was exceed- 
ingly pleasant to me and to your mother, wherein you express 
your great contentment in the kind disposals of Providence respect- 
ing you. No worldly thing can rejoice us more than your happi- 
ness in Mr. Turell, and his in you. You will emulate his tender 
regards to you and his incomparable good temper ; and, learning of 



AUTHORS. 



321 



him, return the same to him, that he may have as rich a blessing in 
you as you have in him. Mr. Turell will direct you in renewing 
your espousals to Christ at his table. Delay not this duty, but 
join yourself to that church and people of God who (you say) are 
so full of good-will and love to you. Give yourself first to the 
Lord, and then unto them by the will of God." 

It was her custom, after her marriage, to study and write. 
She made poetry her recreation. Her husband says of 
her, — 

" What greatly contributed to increase her knowledge in divinity, 
history, physic, controversy, as well as poetry, was her attentive 
hearing most that I read upon those heads through the long even- 
ings of the winters as we sat together." 

Her letters to her father were full of that sweet, filial reve- 
rence which ancient manners promoted more than modern. 
She sends him a pressing invitation, in verse, to visit her in 
the happy manse at Medford. Her residence then was on 
the spot now occupied by the house of Misses Elizabeth and 
Lucy Ann Brooks, — the spot on which this history has been 
written. In imitation of Horace, she recounts the reasons 
for his coming. The poem is too long to be extracted here ; 
so we give only a part : — 

" From the soft shades and from the balmy sweets 

Of Medford's flowery vales and green retreats, 

Your absent Delia to her father sends, 

And pravs to see him ere the summer ends. 

Now, while the earth's with beauteous verdure dyed, 

And Flora paints the meads in all her pride ; 

While laden trees Pomonia's bounty own, 

And Ceres' treasures do the fields adorn ; 

From the thick smokes and noisy town, oh, come, 

And in these plains a while forget your home. 

But though rich dainties never spread my board, 

Nor my cool vaults Calabrian wines afford ; 

Yet what is neat and wholesome I can spread, — 

My good, fat bacon, and our homely bread, 

With which my healthful family is fed ; 

Milk from the cow, and butter newly churned ; 

And new, fresh cheese, with curds and cream just turned. 

For a dessert, upon my table's seen 
. The golden apple and the melon green : 

The blushing peach and glossy plum there lies, 

And, with the mandrake, tempt your hands and eyes. 

This I can give ; and if you'll here repair, 

To slake your thirst, a cask of autumn beer, 

Reserved on purpose for your drinking here. 

No stately beds my humble roof adorn, 

Of costly purple, by carved panthers borne ; 

Nor can I boast Arabia's rich perfumes, 

Diffusing odors through our stately rooms. 

41 



322 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

For me no fair Egyptian plies the loom ; 
But my fine linen all is made at home. 
Though I no down or tapestry can spread, 
A clean, soft pillow shall suppport your head, 
Filled with the wool from off my tender sheep, 
On which with ease and safety you may sleep. 
The nightingale shall lull you to your rest, 
And all be calm and still as is your breast." 

In writing to her only sister, in 1728, she says, — 

" You have now just passed your childhood, and are arrived at 
that stage of life which is most exposed to snares and temptations. 
Put away all childish things. Behave yourself womanly and like 
a Christian to all with whom you converse. Indulge not a passion- 
ate or fretful temper, much less a haughty or insulting carriage, 
towards the meanest servant in the family. Be obliging, and 
modest, and humble ; so shall you deserve and have the esteem of 
everybody. Be thankful to, and pray for, them that are so kind as 
to admonish you. Be contented. Wish not yourself in another's 
place, or that you had another's liberty." 

Before the birth of her first child, she was in low spirits, 

and wrote in sad tone to her father ; to which he made the 

following reply : — - 

" Boston, March 6, 1728. 

" My Dear, — I thank you for your letter of yesterday, but am 
sorry you pine so after me, and seem so melancholy. You have 
reason to be glad and rejoice in the Lord. Fear not as to soul 
or body, but trust in his salvation. 

" I find myself easier in hearing from you, though I see you not. 
You are always on my heart and mind ; and you are in the hand of 
a gracious and faithful God. 

" I send you a fine present of two oranges, — all we have ; and a 
piece of chocolate. Don't hanker after any thing. Get above that 
womanish fancy ; but yet speak, if you crave. 

" When the ground is dry, and the weather warm, I shall hope 
to make a visit to you. The meanwhile, we must meet daily, as 
you say, which is the best meeting of all, before the throne of 
grace. Your loving father, 

Benjamin Colman." 

This letter shows, among other things, that a journey from 
Boston to Medford was an event which must be postponed 
till the "weather is warm, and the ground dry." Such a 
reason sounds strange now, when there are twenty separate 
opportunities in each day of going to and coming from Bos- 
ton in public conveyances. 

After the birth of her first child (still-born), Mrs. Turell 
writes thus : — ^ 






AUTHORS. 323 

" Born to the grave ere it had seen the light, 
Or with one smile had cheered my longing sight." 

The second child (Clark Thomas) lived only eleven days. 
She thus writes of him : — 

" Ten days I hold him in my joyful arms, 
And feast my eyes upon his youthful charms ; 
But then the king of terrors does advance 
To pierce its hosom with his iron lance. 
Its soul released, upward it takes its flight, 
Oh, never more below to bless my sight ! 
Farewell, sweet babe ! I hope to meet above, 
And there with you sing our Redeemer's love." 

Sensibility, benevolence, and devotion were salient traits 
in Mrs. Turell's character. Her husband says of her, " Some 
unhappy affairs in Medford, in the years 1729-30, produced 
many prayers and tears from her." He says elsewhere, " It 
was her practice to read the Bible out in course once in a 
year ; the book of Psalms much oftener ; besides many chap- 
ters and a multitude of verses, which she kept turned down 
in a Bible which she had been the owner and reader of more 
than twenty years." Again he says, " When she appre- 
hended she received injuries, silence and tears were her 
highest resentments." 

The Rev. John Adams writes, after her death, a long letter 
in verse to Mr. Turell. We give here a few lines : — 

" Why hangs such sorrow on your pensiA'e brow ? 
Say, Turell, why the tears so freely flow ? 
If you lament the lovely partner fled, 
In vain you heave the sigh, or rivers shed ; 
Nor eloquence can soothe, nor virtue awe, 
Nor force repel the power of Nature's law. 

Nature had shed upon her ample mind 

Its various gifts, which Art had well refined. 

Few were her words, but close, and weighty too : 

We could not blame, but grieved they were so few. 

Nor was she vain, nor stained with those neglects 

In which too learned females lose their sex. 

The tender ties of nuptial life she graced, 

And all the mother to the child expressed. 

The best of daughters in her carriage shown, 

She felt the friend, and charmed the weeping town. 

E'en now the flowing numbers left behind 
Reflect the features of her virtuous mind ; 
Nor yet, of all the nymphs that grace the plain, 
Has one appeared to sing so sweet a strain. 
But most Devotion did its power diffuse, — 
Soul of her soul, the spirit of her Muse." 



324 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

This lady was certainly a polished stone in the temple of 
the Lord. She inherited a most fragile frame, an exquisite 
sensibility, and a poetic taste. Under peculiar circumstances, 
the ebbs and flows of feeling were uncontrollable ; but the 
deep-laid principles of Christian faith and pious trust sus- 
tained and delivered her. There was in her a childlike 
transparency of soul, and a deep well of love, which made her 
the admiration and blessing of all with whom she lived. She 
was a model wife for a minister, as he was a model husband ; 
and the tribute he has left to her affection, usefulness, and 
piety, is alike honorable to both. 

The death of Mrs. Turell brought deep and lasting sorrow 
to the heart of her aged father. He had lived in her life, and 
was now ready to die her death. Family afflictions had been 
few with him. He says, " For six and twenty years there 
had been no death in my family ! " In speaking of the two 
sermons preached after the death of Mrs. Turell, he says, 
" I now make the dedication of both, — first, to the beloved 
children of my own flock and town ; and then to the beloved 
people of Medford, to whom I gave away no small part of 
the light of my eyes in the day I married her to their 
pastor." 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



325 



CHAPTER IX. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



FIRST MEETING-HOUSE. 




First Meeting-house, 1696. 

During the first years of their residence in Medford, our 
pious ancestors were not sufficiently numerous and rich to 
support a minister of the gospel; hence they joined the 
churches of Cambridge, Charlestown, Watertown, Woburn, 
and Maiden. That they had preaching in the town at fune- 
rals and baptisms, is most probable ; but the loss of our ear- 
liest records prevents our stating any specific action on the 
subject till about 1690, when the desire to build a meeting- 
house became strong and effectual. They worshipped in 
private rooms ; and we find a vote of the town to " pay 
Thomas Willis thirty shillings for the use of his rooms for 
one year." 

January 17, 1693, we find the following record : — 

" At a general town-meeting of the inhabitants of Medford, being 
fifteen days warned, voted that there shall be a meeting-house 
erected, to be finished the first of October following, on the land of 
Mr. Thomas "Willis, near the gate by Marble Brook, on a rock on 
the north side of Woburn Road. It shall be seven and twenty feet 
long, four and twenty feet wide, and fifteen feet between joints." 



326 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The committee to whom was intrusted this important 
work, " with full power to act therein," were Caleb Brooks 
and Thomas Willis, " to be joined by the Selectmen, Joseph 
Hall and John Tufts." Owing to some obstacles, the house 
was not built at the time first specified ; and the next move- 
ment towards it we find in a vote passed Sept. 13, 1695. At 
this time " a subscription was opened, and one pound was 
subscribed by the following persons : Thomas "Willis, Caleb 
Brooks, Stephen Francis, Stephen "Willis, John Francis, 
John Whitmore, John Bradshoe, Jonathan Tufts, John Hall, 
jun., Nathaniel Hall, Stephen Hall, sen., John "Willis, Ste- 
phen Hall, Percival Hall, Ebenezer Brooks. Twelve shillings 
were subscribed by Eleazer "Wier and Nathaniel Waite, and 
six shillings by Samuel Brooks." At this meeting, the town 
voted, unanimously, that " every person who refused to sub- 
scribe should pay twelve pence per head, and one penny on 
the pound, towards the building of the meeting-house." 

September 23, 1695, it was voted " to give sixty pounds 
for the erection and finishing of the house ; " but, on Nov. 
4, 1695, the town took a new step, as follows : " The inhabi- 
tants, being now met and assembled, have voted and agreed 
to have a pulpit and deacons'-seats made, and the body of 
seats and the walls plastered with lime." On account of 
these additions to the house, they agreed to give eighty 
pounds. 

The meeting-house having been completed in May, 1696, 
five gentlemen — viz., Peter Tufts, John Hall, sen., Caleb 
Brooks, Stephen Francis, and Stephen "Willis — were chosen 
" the committee to place the inhabitants in the meeting-house ; 
the Selectmen first to place the committee." 

There is no account of any separate religious services at 
the laying of the corner-stone, or for the dedication of the 
house. "Whether our Puritan fathers feared being too Jew- 
ish, or too Popish, or too Episcopal, we know not. 

Thus our ancestors provided themselves with their first 
house for public worship ; and when we consider that at that 
time there were but thirty male inhabitants of the town who 
paid taxes on estates, we may see clearly the cause of delay- 
ing such an expenditure, without supposing any lack of 
interest in piety or the church. 

The spot on which the first house stood is now occupied 
by a cottage, owned by Mr. Noah Johnson, in "West Med- 
ford. The passage-way, which was closed by " the gate " 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



327 



mentioned in the vote, still exists as a way to another house 
in which Mr. Johnson now resides. This spot, consecrated 
by the prayers and worship of our ancestors, is about twenty 
rods east-north-east from the crotch of the two roads, — one 
leading to Woburn, the other to West Cambridge. 

The meeting-houses of this period were generally square, 
or nearly so. Some had spires, and were of two stories, with 
galleries. The one in Medford was nearly square, of one 
story, and without spire or galleries, but its windows secured 
with outside shutters. The roof was very steep, and its 
humble appearance (twenty-seven by twenty-four) can be 
readily imagined; and, if it had been made with walls 
unplastered, its cost probably would not have exceeded sixty 
pounds. Twelve shillings were annually paid " for keeping 
the meeting-house." 

■ Instead of pulpits, many houses had tables, from which 
the sermon was preached, and around which certain privi- 
leged persons, besides the deacons, were permitted, by a vote 
of the town, to sit. 

The order of services was much like that now prevalent m 
congregational churches, except that the Scriptures were not 
read, and there was no choir. The congregation sung ; and 
the deacon's pitch-pipe was the only instrumental music 

allowed. 

Baptisms were always administered in the meeting-house ; 
and, if a child had been born on Sunday morning, it was 
thought a fit offering of piety to have it baptized in that 

afternoon. 

As pews were not tolerated at first, the town chose a com- 
mittee " to seat the congregation." Although this committee 
was composed of the most judicious and popular men, their 
decisions were not always satisfactory. The rules laid down 
for seating the people were passed Nov. 30, 1713, and are as 
follows : " The rule to be observed by said committee, in seat- 
ing of persons in said meeting-house, is the quality of persons ; 
they who paid most for building the house, they who pay 
most for the minister's support, and the charges they have 
been at and now do pay to the public." In 1703, there was 
so much heartburning at the placing of the people, that, in 
the true spirit of republican Congregationalism, they rebelled, 
and chose a new committee to do the work oyer again. ^ 

The origin of pews seems to have been in a petition of 
Major Wade for liberty to build one. 



828 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



a 



May 25, 1696 : Major Nathaniel "Wade shall have liberty 
to build a pew in the meeting-house when he shall see 
reason to do so." Nothing appears in the record to explain 
this " liberty ; " and therefore we are left to set it down to our 
forefathers' charity, or submission to wealth, or traditional 
toleration of rank. As the major was the richest citizen, he 
had probably done most for the building of the house. But, 
although this liberty was granted to build when he " saw 
reason," the town was nervously careful to define the form 
of his pew, and to fix its exact position. One vote, on another 
occasion, directed the committee to see that " it should not 
go beyond the first bar of the window." 

A grant subsequently made to another gentleman was 
accompanied Avith this condition, — that " he must take into 
his pew one or two persons, not belonging to his family, 
whom the town may name." 

March 6, 1699 : Thomas Willis presented to the town, as 
a gift, a deed of the piece of land on which the meeting- 
house was standing. 

On the same day, the town voted " to build a fore-gallery 
in the meeting-house, with three seats ; said seats to be 
parted in the middle, one-half to be used by the men, and the 
other by the women." This custom of making the gallery- 
seats free, and of confining those on one side to the use of 
males, and the others to the use of females, continued in Med- 
ford until our day. 

This " fore-gallery " became a cause of conflict between 
the two sexes ! By the vote of 1699, the " women " were to 
occupy one side, and the " men " the other. Of course this 
just decision satisfied the gentler sex ; and they enjoyed the 
boon till Jan. 31, 1701, when the town voted that men only 
should sit in the front gallery of the meeting-house ! This 
unexplained outrage on female rights roused into ominous 
activity certain lively members, whose indignant eloquence 
procured the call of another town-meeting within five weeks, 
when it was voted to reconsider the decision of the 31st of 
January, and thus put the matter statu quo ante helium. 
When the history of the " women movement " of our day 
shall be written, we commend the above fact to their bio- 
grapher. 

At the same meeting, Lieut. Peter Tufts, Ebenezer Brooks, 
and Stephen Willis, had leave granted them to build each a 
pew. This vote was strangely modified, with respect to one 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 329 

of these gentlemen, on the 3d of January, 1715: "Voted 
that the town will grant Mr. Ebenezer Brooks a pew in the 
part of their meeting-house joining to the minister's pew, and 
liberty to make a door into said pew on the outside of said 
meeting-house" This was the first grant of the kind, and 
we should hope it would be the last ; for to see the outside 
of a meeting-house thus sliced up into little private doors, 
surely could not add much to its beauty or its warmth. 

July 28, 1702 : " Voted to give Ensign John Bradshaw 
fifteen shillings for sweeping the meeting-house one year, 
cleaning the snow away from the front-door, and shutting the 
casements." 

Nov. 25, 1712 : The town, for the first time, granted per- 
mission to one of their number to build a shed for his horse. 
"A merciful man is merciful to his beast." If horses think, 
what must they have thought of the early settlers ? 

We have dwelt on these minute details, because they only 
can give the true history of our early ancestors. These little 
facts tell great truths. They show us how much our fathers 
did with the scantiest means ; and, better than all, they prove 
to us that the noble Anglo-Saxon Puritans who settled these 
shores could not be seduced by poverty to abate a tittle of 
their high-minded integrity, or their jealousy of power, or 
their Christian enthusiasm. 



SECOND MEETING-HOUSE. 




- : * 



Second Meeting-house, 1727. 
42 



330 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

A new house was first proposed May 28, 1716, because 
the enlargement of the old would cost nearly as much as 
the building of a new one. The committee reported that 
its size should be " fifty feet long, thirty-eight broad, and 
twenty-seven feet stud." It was to have diamond glass and 
window-shutters, and was to cost four hundred and fifty 
pounds. In 1719, the subject again came up for more 
decisive action ; and, in Feb. 9 of that year, they put the 
question in this form : " Put to vote, whether the town will 
build a new meeting-house forthwith. Voted in the nega- 
tive." 

A movement so full of interest to every family would natu- 
rally bring out some diversity of opinion in a widely scat- 
tered population. In order, therefore, to secure harmony in 
the best plan, they were willing to accede to what judicious 
and disinterested men might say was best. Accordingly, 
March 7, 1720, in a full town-meeting, they put the ques- 
tion thus : — 

" Whether the town will choose a committee of five gentlemen, 
from some of our neighboring towns, to give their advice, whether 
it will he most convenient for the town, at present, to build a new 
meeting-house, or to enlarge the old. And, in case said committee 
do advise to build a new meeting-house, then said committee to state 
a place, as near the centre of the town as can be, which shall best 
accommodate the whole town for setting of said house." 

This was " voted in the affirmative," and the meeting was 
then adjourned one week to March 14 ; but the time was too 
short for so much business. "When, however, the meeting of 
the 14th took place, the town passed a vote supplementary to 
that of the 7th inst. ; and in these words are the record : — 

" At said meeting, put to vote, whether the town will abide by, 
and rest satisfied with, the advice and determination of the above- 
said committee, which shall be according to the vote above written, 
referring to building a new meeting-house or enlarging of the old, 
and also as to stating a place for said house. Voted in the affirma- 
tive." 

» 

This vote was passed after the town had chosen the com- 
mittee, and had probably learned something of their views. 
The committee make their report ; whereupon the town, 
Feb. 20, 1721, after nearly a year's delay and various inde- 
finite activities, come to the question of this report of the 
committee. The record is as follows : — 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



331 






" Put to vote, whether the town doth accept of the result of the 
committee, referring to a meeting-house in Medford, as a perfect 
result according to the votes of said town. Voted in the nega- 
tive." 

It does not appear what were the grounds of objection to 
the result of the committee ; but the vote above, of Feb. 20, 
drew forth the following protest from the Westenders : — 

" We, the subscribers, do enter our dissent against the town's 
proceedings in the above-written vote (of the 20th of February), 
for the following reasons ; to wit : — 

" 1. That, at a meeting legally convened, March 14, 1720, the 
town did make choice of a committee of five gentlemen, to advise 
and determine the affair of the meeting-house in said town, as may 
at large appear by said votes referring thereto ; and did also hind 
themselves, by a vote, to abide by, and rest satisfied with, the advice 
and determination of said committee. 

" 2. The gentlemen chosen by the town as a committee, being 
met at Medford, April 2, 1720, after consultation upon said affair, 
drew up a result, under all their hands, and publicly read and 
declared the same to the town, or those of them then present. 

" 3. That said committee, by their result, did oblige the inhabi- 
tants of the West End of the town to procure the land for erecting 
a new meeting-house upon, at their own cost and charge ; and also 
to remove all encumbrances, as expressed in said result. 

" 4. That we, the subscribers, have, in obedience to said result, 
procured the land and removed the encumbrances, as above said, at 
our own cost and charge ; and, for these and the like reasons, we 
enter against said vote as being illegal and unjust. 



" John Whitmore. 
Caleb Brooks. 
Nathaniel Francis. 
John Winship. 
William Willis. 
Stephen Hall. 
Jonathan Hall. 
Stephen Willis. 
OLrVER Attwood. 
Abner Harris. 



John Francis. 
Samuel Francis. 
Thomas Willis. 
John Whitmore. 
John Francis. 
Ebenezer Brooks. 
Francis Whitmore. 
Samuel Brooks. 
William Pottony. 
Thomas Hall." 



As this subject created local or territorial interests, it was 
prudently thought best not to force any measure relating to 
it. More than a year elapsed before any decisive action was 
taken. July 19, 1722, voted " to build a meeting-house ac- 
cording to the advice and determination of the honored com- 
mittee chosen and empowered by the town to state that 
affair, and in the same place which said committee stated and 
ordered in the result." 



832 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

This vote immediately called forth a protest from the East- 
erners, in the following words : — 

"We, the subscribers, do enter our dissent against the vote 
abovesaid, referring to the building of a new meeting-bouse, for the 
reasons following ; to wit : first, it is wholly contrary to the war- 
rant granted for said meeting; and also, it being contrary to a 
former vote of the town. 



"John Bradshaw, ) select- 
Thomas Tufts, > men - 
John Willis. 
John Richardson. 
Benjamin Willis. 
Benjamin Parker. 
John Bradshaw, jun. 



Nathaniel Hall. 
John Grattan. 
Jonathan Bradshaw. 
Peter Seccombe. 
John Hall. 
Thomas Willis. 
Peter Tufts." 



This difference of opinion, running longitudinally east and 
west, destroyed not the harmony of the town in other things ; 
but served only to postpone action, and wait the leadings of 
Providence. More than two years elapsed before we find the 
following vote : " To place the new meeting-house either on 
the north or south side of the country road, on a piece of 
land 'belonging to John Bradshaw, jun." This spot was 
afterwards rejected. More unanimity began now to prevail 
in this matter ; and a committee was chosen whose wisdom 
and impartiality harmonized every thing. The spot selected 
was on the south side of the country road, near " Marble 
Brook," four or five rods south-east of the bridge now across 
that stream, which afterwards took the name of "Meeting- 
house Brook," and retains it to this day. The land was 
owned by that self-made and thrifty farmer, Mr. John Albree ; 
and on the 10th of January, 1726, the town voted to give 
fifty-five pounds for one acre, and to appropriate three hun- 
dred and sixty pounds for the building of the house. The 
committee appointed to determine the size and shape of the 
house were " Thomas Tufts, Esq., Captain Ebenezer Brooks, 
Mr. Peter Seccombe, Mr. John Richardson, Captain Samuel 
Brooks, Mr. John Willis, Mr. William Willis, Lieutenant 
Stephen Hall, Mr. John Frasncis, Mr. Benjamin Parker, and 
Mr. John Whitmore." They reported that " it would be 
proper for this toAvn to build a meeting-house fifty-two feet 
large, thirty-eight feet wide, and thirty-three feet posts." 
This report was accepted, and the same committee empowered 
to build the house. 

Every thing now went on harmoniously ; and we can easily 
imagine the appearance of the new house, — more than twice as 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 333 

high, as its predecessor, and about twice as large. The steeple, 
rising from the centre of the four-faced roof, gave to the 
structure an appearance like that of the old meeting-house 
now standing in Hingham, Mass., which was built in 1680. 
Some of us remember the old meeting-house in Lynn, built 
about the same time, after the same model. 

Aug. 24, 1727 : " Voted to meet in the new meeting-house 
sabbath-day after next." Accordingly, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 
1727, the inhabitants of Medford met for the first time in 
their new house ; and Rev. Mr. Turell preached an appro- 
priate sermon from Psalm lxxxiv. 1 : " How amiable are thy 
tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! " Any special dedicatory ser- 
vices would have been distasteful to a people who had not 
forgotten the superstitions of Popery, or the persecutions of 
the English church. 

Here was a new fortress for keeping the truth, and also 
for assailing the "ten idols:" 1. The surplice and Popish 
wardrobe. 2. The sign of the cross in baptism. 3. Kneel- 
ing at the Lord's Supper. 4. Setting the communion-table 
altar-wise. 5. Bowing at the name of Jesus. 6. Popish 
holidays. 7. Consecrating churches. 8. Organs and cathe- 
dral-music. 9. The Book of Common Prayer. 10. A church 
government by bishops. 

Our Puritan forefathers having procured their second house 
for public worship of a size commensurate with their num- 
bers, and at a cost proportionate to their wealth, their first 
care was for their pastor's family ; and they passed the follow- 
ing vote : " That the town will build a ministerial pew in the 
meeting-house, in the place where the Rev. Mr. Turell shall 
choose." 

As no pews were built, the people were to sit on long, un- 
cushioned seats, wherever the " seating committee " should 
designate. This custom became less and less agreeable ; and, 
by degrees, the just, pacific, and convenient fashion of sepa- 
rated pews crept in. Various expedients were devised, and 
many of them abandoned ; but, Oct. 23, 1727, it was voted 
"that certain lots for pews should be sold, but that each 
person must build his pew at his own cost ; and if he moved 
out of town, his pew became the town's, the town paying 
therefor." Subsequently it was voted to build twenty-seven 
pews, and then let the committee determine who should have 
a right to build. The requisites were age, dignity, parentage, 
usefulness, and the charges which persons had paid to the 



334 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

town and to the meeting-house. Here was a wide door open 
for jealousy and discontent. The next year, 1728, the com- 
mittee determine " to build twenty-eight. pews," to be placed 
next the wall, all round the house. Each pew had its price 
assessed by the committee, and, when paid for, was gua- 
ranteed to its owner as regular real estate. Some had no 
doors, and therefore must be entered through a contiguous 
pew ! The' right of choice was now given to twenty-five 
gentlemen ; and here follows the eventful catalogue in the 
order fixed according to the supposed social rank of each: — 

" Mr. John Francis, sen., Mr. John Bradshaw, Captain Ebenezer 
Brooks, Captain Samuel Brooks, Lieutenant Stephen Hall, Mr. 
Peter Seccombe, Thomas Tufts, Esq., Captain Samuel Wade, 
Francis Wbitmore, John Willis, Mr. John Whitmore, Mr. John 
Richardson, William Willis, Mr. Jonathan Hall, Mr. Peter Tufts, 
Deacon Thomas Hall, Mr. Benjamin Willis, Mr. Benjamin Porter, 
Mr. Thomas Oaks, Dr. Simon Tufts, Mr. John Albree, Mr. Joseph 
Tufts, Mr. William Patten, Mr. John Bradshaw, jun., and Mr. John 
Hall." 

We know not the exact position of any pew occupied by 
either of the twenty-five gentlemen, save one ; and that is 
the pew, number one, which was the first on the east side of 
the broad aisle, nearest the front door, taken by Captain 
Samuel Brooks'. His son Thomas chose the same place in 
the third new house. The price of these pews varied from 
twelve to eight pounds. 

1729 : Voted " to petition the General Court for some relief 
under present differences and difficulties." The town ap- 
points " Captain Ebenezer Brooks, Mr. Peter Seccombe, Mr. 
William Patten, and Jonathan Tomson, as a committee to lay 
the case before the committee of the House of Representa- 
tives." A committee of four (Hodijah Savage, Thomas 
Berry, Joseph Wilder, and William Ward) met at Medford, 
when all things were explained concerning the discontent 
and disputes about certain pews in the new meeting-house. 
The award was drawn up in form, and was final, and it placed 
three or four persons anew ! 

June 26, 1740 : The town voted to place a bell on the 
meeting-house ; but, as it was decided to purchase the bell 
with money which should be raised from the sale of bricks 
owned by the town, the bell was not bought, because the 
bricks were not sold. However, this appendage to a meeting- 
house, so necessary in those days, when watches were not as 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 335 

plenty as they are now, was furnished in 1744 by certain 
liberal gentlemen of the town ; and five pounds was paid for 
ringing it a year. 

Jan. 15, 1733 : Voted " to repair the steeple of the meeting-house, 
to put a pulley on the front door, and make a convenient horse- 
block." 

"July 23, 1736: "Voted that John Bradshaw, jun., should have 
liberty to cut a door-place and make a door at the south end of the 
meeting-house into his pew." 

So near to " Marble Brook " was this house placed, that, 
on the 3d of December, 1745, the town voted to take all 
necessary measures " to prevent the water of the brook from 
washing away the earth near the north-west corner of the 
meeting-house." 

How significant of character are these little details of 
town legislation, sectional jealousies, mutual concessions, and 
hereditary rank ! 

This second meeting-house was in use forty -three years ; 
during which time there were five thousand one hundred 
and thirty -four sermons preached, and one thousand two hun- 
dred and eighteen persons baptized in it. The farewell ser- 
vice was March 4, 1770. 

The house was sold at auction, to John Laithe, for £24 
(O.T.) ; its underpinning to Benjamin Hall, for £13. 6s. Sd. 
The land sold for £197 (O.T.) ; the old schoolhouse upon 
it, for .£38. 



336 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



THIRD MEETING-HOUSE. 




Third Meeting-house, 1770. 

The increase and prosperity of the town called for a new 
meeting-house ; but the trying question was, "Where shall 
it be placed ? As the majority of the inhabitants were east 
of the old meeting-house, it was but right to place the new 
one nearer the centre of population. In 1768, it was pro- 
posed to build it " between the Meeting-house Brook, so 
called, and the widow Mary Greenleaf s." This was aban- 
doned. April 4 of the same year, it was voted by the town 
thus : " When the town builds a meeting-house, they will 
build said house upon the widow Watson's orchard, before 
her dwelling-house, provided said land can be procured on 
reasonable terms." This proposition was no more successful 
than the last. Aug. 22, 1768 : " Voted to build a meeting- 
house on land bought of Mr. John Bishop ; the house to be 
of the following dimensions : sixty-six feet long, forty-six 
feet wide, with forty-eight pews on the floor, and eight in the 
gallery ; with a tower from the ground, without a spire ; two 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



337 



porches ; doors and windows to be painted three times ; leads 
and pulleys in the windows. The whole cost not to exceed 
£933. 6s. 8d." This plan was adopted, and the house built 
on the spot now occupied by the meeting-house of the first 
church. Another important vote was passed, providing that 
a subscription should be opened, and the citizen who sub- 
scribed the most towards building the house should have his 
first choice of a pew ; and so the rest, in the order of their 
relative sums. Forty-five gentlemen subscribed. March 
13, 1769, voted to have a spire, whose cost should "not 
exceed £66. 13s. 4d." May 15, 1769, voted " that there 
may be conducting-rods put upon the steeple, if they cost the 
town nothing." Price of labor at this time, for a man, 3s. 
6d. per day ; for man and team, 6s. 8d. 

By the usual courtesy, the pastor took the first choice, and 
selected pew No. 27; which thereupon became the "minister's 
pew," owned by the town. 

The pews in the meeting-house were chosen " according 
to the vote of the town and the tenor of subscription," Feb. 
"8, 1770, as follows : — 



Thomas Brooks, jun, 
John Bishop . 
Stephen Hall . 
Aaron Hall 
Ebenezer Hall 
John Wade 
Samuel Hall . 
Watts Turner . 
William Tufts, 3d 
William Tufts . 
Simon Bradshaw 
Samuel Angier 
Francis Burns 
Zachary Pool . , 
Jonathan Patten 
E. Hall . . . 
Nathan Tufts . 
Samuel Tufts, 2d 
Benjamin Teal 
Timothy Tufts 
Henry Fowle . 
James Tufts . 
Richard Hall . 
Isaac Hall . . 



No. 1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 



Thomas Seccombe 
Benjamin Hall 
Minister's Pew . 
Isaac Royal . . 
Timothy Newhall 
Peter Jones . . 
Nathan Tufts, jun. 
Timothy Hall . . 
Hezekiah Blanchard 
Thomas Patten . 
Joseph Thompson 
Henry Putnam . 
Seth Blodget . . 
Willis Hall . . 
Jacob Hall . . . 
John Leathe . . 
Samuel Jenks . . 
Andrew Hall ., . 
Isaac Warren . . 
Isaac Greenleaf . 
Samuel Kidder . 
Simon Tufts . . 
Ebenezer Blanchard 
Edward Brooks . 



25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 



43 



338 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

It is specially recorded, that, at " the raising " of this 
meeting-house, which took place July 26 and 27, 1769, " there 
was no one hurt." That such an exemption was remarkable, 
at that period, may be explained by the fact, that probably 
our fathers did not put themselves into that condition which 
generally secures catastrophies. An authentic record from 
another town, under date of Sept. 13, 1773, may make this 
matter clear : " Voted to provide one barrel of West India 
rum, five barrels of New England rum, one barrel of good 
brown sugar, half a box of good lemons, and two loaves of 
loaf sugar, for framing and raising the meeting-house." Here 
a natural consequence followed, — two-thirds of the frame 
fell : many were hurt, and some fatally. 

Thus our fathers procured for themselves their third tem- 
ple of worship, placed near the centre of population, upon a 
commanding spot, and exhibiting a most respectable exterior, 
with a commodious and appropriate interior. It is agreeable 
to one's mind to contrast the three forms of meeting-houses 
which obtained in New England up to this time. The first 
was a one-story, square building, in naked and uncheerful 5 
simplicity, with straw-thatched roof; lighted, not by glass 
windows, but by the opening of outside shutters ; and had 
within neither pews nor pulpit. The second was two stories 
high ; had diamond-glass windows ; a four-sided, sloping roof, 
of wood, with a turret in its centre for a bell ; and sometimes 
a portico in front ; and, within, a gallery, some pews, a 
deacon's seat, and a pulpit. The third was two stories high, 
had window-sashes and square glass, a two-sided roof, with a 
tower from the ground, and three porches ; while its interior 
showed galleries round three sides, in which, fronting the 
pulpit, were seats for twenty -five or fifty singers ; and, on 
the lower floor, wall-pews, three inches higher than the rest ; 
two free seats, nearest the pulpit, for deaf old men and 
women ; a deacon's seat, in front of the pulpit ; and the 
sacred desk not at the end, as is now the fashion, but in 
the centre of one of the longest sides of the house, its top 
from eight to ten feet above the floor, and over it fastened a 
"sounding-board." The sexton, up to this time, had his 
post of honor near the preacher ; and his duty was to attend 
to any wants of the officiating clergyman, and also to turn the 
hour-glass when its sands had run out. This last operation 
was doubtless to inform the congregation how much instruc- 
tion they had received, and to prophesy of the remainder. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 339 

It is not difficult to imagine the appearance of a congregation 
in 1650, -— the men on one side, and the women on the other, 
sitting on wooden benches, in January, under a thatched 
roof, with one or two open window-places, without stoves, 
singing Sternhold and Hopkins and the New England 
Psalms, and then listening to a two-hours' service with de- 
votion ! 

On Sunday, March 11, 1770, our fathers and mothers, 
with their entire families, entered, for the first time, their 
new meeting-house. Unfortunately, their beloved pastor was 
ill ; and the services of the day were performed by Mr. 
Andrew Elliot, jun., a tutor in Harvard College. The cele- 
brated George Whitefield preached a dedicatory discourse in 
this house, Aug. 26, 1770, fron 2 Chron. v. 14. Our fathers 
had no special services for the dedication of a new house of 
worship, because they could not tolerate any imitation of the 
English church ; and we have always had to regret their 
further indiscretion in banishing, for the same poor reason, 
the sacred observance of Christmas and Good Friday. 

June 11, 1770: "Voted not to grant seats for singers." 

July 28, 1771, Sunday: On this day was used, for the 
first time, the new pulpit-cushion given by William Peppe- 
rell, Esq., who imported it from England, at a cost of eleven 
guineas. 

March 5, 1787 : Some inhabitants of taste and public spi- 
rit propose to plant ornamental trees in front of the meeting- 
house. The town voted not to have them ! 

May 10, 1802 : Voted to buy a new bell. 

Oct. 5, 1812: Voted not to have a stove in the meeting- 
house ! 

Never was there a house that received fewer repairs. In 
1814, they who are first to discover needs, and quickest to 
relieve them, subscribed one hundred and fifty dollars ; and 
soon the pulpit wore a new color, showed a new cushion, 
and rejoiced in new curtains. One gentleman was admitted 
to participation in this pious offering of the ladies, by present- 
ing a copy of the Sacred Scriptures in two volumes. 



340 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 




""- klLBURN & ^ 



Second Congregational Meeting-house, 1824- 




Universalist Meeting-house, 1832. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



341 




First Parish Meeting-houseJ(Unitarian), 1839. 




Methodist»Meeting-house, 1844. 



342 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 




<LLO/tr Jt. eoirov 



Mystic Church (Congregational), 1849. 




Grace Church (Episcopal), 1850. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



343 



SCHOOLIIOUSES. 



Where the first schoolhouse stood is not known ; but it 
was probably near the meeting-house, at the West End. 

The second was built according to the following order of 
the town, Oct. 5, 1730 : " Voted to build a new schoolhouse, 
twenty-four feet long, twenty feet wide, and ten feet stud, 
on town's land, by the meeting-house." It was near Marble 
Brook, on the north-west corner of the lot, upon the border 
of the road. 

The third schoolhouse stood very near the street, on land 
now owned by Samuel Train, Esq., about ten feet east of the 
house he now occupies ; and, when that mansion-house was 
first repaired, the schoolhouse was moved, and now makes 
part of the rear of said dwelling. 

The fourth schoolhouse stood as ordered by the following 
vote: March 11, 1771, "voted to build the schoolhouse 
upon the land behind the meeting-house, on the north-west 
corner of the land." This spot is three or four rods north- 
west of the present meeting-house of the first parish. The 
building-committee were " Benjamin Hall, Captain Thomas 
Brooks, and Mr. Willis Hall." 

These houses, above noticed, were of wood ; but the town, 
May 5, 1795, voted to build a brick schoolhouse behind^ the 
meeting-house. They agreed to give William Woodbridge 
two hundred and twenty pounds, and the old schoolhouse, to 
build it. This was the fifth house built by the town. It con- 
sisted of one large room, sufficient for sixty or seventy pupils : 
it was arranged after the newest models, and furnished with 
green blinds, hung at their tops ! The arrangement within was 
simple. The master's desk was on a raised platform, in one 
corner. Undivided seats ran lengthwise through the whole 
extent of the room. The oldest pupils sat with their backs to 
the windows, and their desks before them. The younger 
pupils sat below them, with their backs against the desks of 
their seniors, and their own desks before them. The small- 
est children sat below these last, leaning their backs against 
the desks of their seniors, but having no desks before them. 
The above arrangement occupied one side of the room ; and 
the other side was exactly like it. Thus the three rows of 
boys on the north side faced the three rows of girls on the 



344 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

south. The area between the two was about six feet wide, 
where the classes were marshalled to read and spell. 

March 7, 180T : The town voted to enlarge the school- 
house. After this was done, the girls and boys were taught 
in separate apartments. 

As this house was the last in the series of old-fashioned 
and inconvenient models, it may be worth while to say a 
word about them. To speak generally, the schoolhouses 
had been as cheerful-looking objects as the county -jail, and 
quite as agreeable residences. Their windows were small ; 
and some sashes had panes just as transparent as pasteboard 
or a felt-hat, — which substitutes for glass lessened the need 
of blinds. The outer door had a strong lock upon it, while its 
two lower panels were in the vocative. The seats and desks 
being undivided, each pupil was compelled to mount upon 
the seat, and travel behind his classmates till he came to his 
place ! This operation was a standing trial of patience to 
those engaged in writing. The heavy tread of a careless boy 
upon the seat of a writer was not calculated to improve chi- 
rography or the temper. The smallest children, who had 
no desks before them, were packed so close together that the 
uneasiness and pain which nature shoots through young 
limbs at rest subjected them to frequent admonition and ear- 
twigging. They who happened to be opposite the great iron 
stove, which stood in the centre of the room, were almost 
roasted ; and they literally got their learning by the sweat of 
their brows. They who sat near this stove through a winter 
would be proof against any heat to be found in this world. 
So violent a fire at the centre caused the wind to rush in 
through the unpatented ventilators, — the cracks in the win- 
dows ; and a consequence was, that, while the children near- 
est the stove were sweltering under more than the equatorial 
heat of the torrid zone, they who were nearest the windows 
were shivering under the icy blasts of the frozen latitudes. 
How philosophers would have traced the isothermal lines in 
such a room, we know not ; since, going from the centre to 
the circumference, one would travel through all the five 
zones. There was some compensation in the music which 
the winds made. Everv schoolhouse had the true Borean 
harps ; or, rather, winter's Panharmonicons, played upon by 
all the blasts in turn. The desks of the pupils became more 
and more interesting. Once they were wide and smooth ; 
but, when that time was, few could remember. The adult 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 



345 



population, when they visited the old schoolhouse, could 
each one find those — 

" Walls on which he tried his graving skill ; 
The very name he carved existing still ; 
The bench on which he sat while deep employed, 
Though mangled, hacked, and hewed, yet not destroyed." 

How many penknives were tried on the benches, desks, and 
doors of the schoolhouse, arithmetic cannot compute ; but 
one thing is clear, that, whether the school left its mark on 
the pupil's mind or not, each pupil felt bound to leave his 
mark on the house. 

The town has taken laudable pride, of late years, in build- 
ing proper schoolhouses. The following table records the 
facts : — 



When 
Built. 


Location. 


Building-committee . 


Master-workmen. Cost. 


1835. 


Primary, 
Union Street. 


Horatio A. Smith, Galen James, 
and Milton James. 


Caldwell & Wyatt. 


$1040.00. 


1837. 


Primary, 
Park Street. 


Galen James, James W. Brooks, 
James 0. Curtis, & Saml. Joyce. 


Oakman Joyce and 
John Sables. 


3454.64. 


1840. 


High & Grammar, 
High Street. 


Oakman Joyce, D. Lawrence, 
and James 0. Curtis. 


Charles Caldwell & 
Wm. B. Thomas. 


7568.77. 


1851. 


Brooks, 
Brooks Street. 


John B. Hatch and 
James M. Usher. 


George A. Caldwell. 


2542.98. 


1851. 


Primary, 
Salem Street. 


Geo. T. Goodwin, Henry Taylor, 
and M. E. Knox. 


J. J. Beaty and 
I. H. Bradlee. 


3375.41. 


1852. 


Everett, 
Salem Street. 


Robert L. Ells, Samuel Joyce, 
and Henry Taylor. 


James Pierce. ' 


7166.57. 



The town proceeded immediately to the building of a new 
schoolhouse, on the spot where the Park-street house was 
burned. April 2, 1855, Messrs. Franklin Patch, Judah 
Loring, and Charles S. Jacobs were chosen a committee to 
produce a plan, publish proposals, and carry forward the 
work, — consulting with the school-committee. 

The report of this committee was accepted and adopted : 
the consequence will be, a plain, substantial schoolhouse, two 
stories high, and furnished with all the modern' conve- 



niences. 



44 



346 



HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 




Brooks Schoolhouse, 1851. 



TOWN-HALL. 



The question concerning the right of the town to use the 
meeting-house of the first parish for town-meetings having 
been settled, the inhabitants began to devise measures for 
building a town-house ; and the subject came up for conside- 
ration, Dec. 6, 1827 ; but no definite action was had. It en- 
gaged attention at subsequent meetings ; but nothing final 
occurred till March 4, 1833, when a committee recommended 
the building of a town-house, whose dimensions should be 
" sixty-five feet long, forty wide, and eighteen-feet posts." 
This report was accepted ; and the land on which the build- 
ing now stands, on the north-east corner of Main and High^ 
Streets, was purchased of the heirs of Mr. Samuel Buel for 
$3,000. The plan of the building was drawn by Mr. Benjamin, 
of Boston. The length was extended to seventy feet. The 
cost of land and building was $10,062.25. The engraving 
will give an exact idea of its present appearance. It was 
found commodious, and was used for all public gatherings. 



.© 







PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 347 

It was let for two dollars per evening, and to a religious so- 
ciety for two dollars per Sunday. The building-committee 
were Messrs. John P. Clisby, John Sparrell, and Thomas R. 
Peck. 

The first story is occupied by stores on Main Street, and 
by the selectmen's room on the west. The hall includes the 
second story. 

Oct. 27, 1839 : Saturday night it was partly destroyed by 
fire. Nov. 25, the town voted to rebuild on the original 
model. The insurance of $5,000 was used to pay for the 
repairs, and nearly covered the whole amount, which was 
$5,389.89. The south end was built of brick, and the house- 
made thirteen feet longer than at first. It was again in- 
sured, at the same office, for $5,000. The building-com- 
mittee were Messrs. Darius Waite, Milton James, and John 
P. Clisby. 

Oct. 18, 1850 : Saturday night it was again burned in part. 
The town voted to rebuild ; and, having received from the 
insurance-office §4,580, this money was used for payment. 
The building-committee were Messrs. Daniel Lawrence, 
George T. Goodwin, and Charles S. Jacobs ; the master- 
builder, Mr. Charles Caldwell. The cost of rebuilding was 
$5,941.26. Its dimensions now are ninety-two feet ridge, 
eighty-three feet body, and forty feet width. 



ALMS-HOUSES. 

Our intelligent and thrifty Puritan ancestors had no need of 
alms-houses. They who came here were the robust and 
young ; and they insisted on obedience to the text, " He that 
will not work, neither shall he eat." Idleness was whipped 
cut of the men by the magistrates, as out of the boys by their 
parents. The first mention in our Medford records of any 
alms-house is May 16, 1737, — more than a century after the 
incorporation of the town ; and then it is proposed to invite 
neighboring towns to unite in building a common workhouse. 
The inhabitants chose a committee to confer with the adjacent 
towns, and to induce them to join in "building a house for 
employing poor, indigent, and slothful persons." This pro- 
position was not accepted ; and Medford did nothing more 
about the matter till May 23, 1774, when a committee was 
chosen to provide a poorhouse on account of the town exclu- 



348 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

sively. This was the definite movement that led to practical 
results, and it was the first in this particular direction. It 
shows that the number of paupers were small till this time. 

In 1790, the town purchased a large house at the West 
End, near where the Lowell Railroad Station now is, together 
with a small lot of land, sufficient only for a vegetable garden. 
Here the poor and helpless were gathered and made com- 
fortable ; but after twenty years it was found insufficient ; and 
the constant perplexities to which the overseers of the poor 
were subjected, induced the town to think of building a new 
and ample house of brick. On the 4th of March, 1811, the 
whole matter was committed to the five following gentlemen : 
Timothy Bigelow, John Brooks, Jonathan Brooks, Isaac 
Brooks, and Abner Bartlett. After several meetings and 
much investigation, they report, that it is expedient for the 
town to build a large and commodious house, of brick, on 
the spot occupied by the old one. This report was accepted ; 
and the same gentlemen were appointed the building-commit- 
tee, to proceed immediately in the work. Discontents arose to 
fetter the proceeding ; and, after much vacillating legislation, 
the final result was the ample brick square house, whose 
strong walls only are yet standing to support a new, expensive, 
and commodious country-seat. It is only justice to say, that 
this act of the town was suggested, and the wor^ carried for- 
ward, through the wisdom and energy of Isaac Brooks, Esq., 
who was indefatigable, as an overseer of the poor, in procur- 
ing every convenience and comfort for the inmates of the 
house that he consistently could. 

This house answered its purpose well for forty years. In 

1827, the town voted to purchase eight acres of land adjoin- 
ing the alms-house lot, at one hundred dollars per acre. In 

1828, the project of purchasing a farm, as some towns had 
done, on which to employ the poor as laborers, came up for 
discussion ; and so favorably did the inhabitants view it, that 
they voted to purchase as soon as a proper one could be 
found. No purchase was made ; and in 1832 a committee is 
directed to sell the poorhouse, if they think it advisable. It 
is not done ; and in 1837 the town again called up the sub- 
ject, and appointed a committee to examine lands and close the 
bargain. But no farm was purchased. 

In 1849, the town bought a large lot of ten and a half 
acres in West Medford, on Purchase Street, for a cemetery. 
After the purchase, it was thought that the situation was 



TRADE. 



349 



better for an alms-house than a cemetery ; and accordingly, 
March 10, 1851, they voted to change the appropriation. 

April 8, 1852 : A committee was appointed to sell the old 
alms-house, and devise a plan for a new one. This commit- 
tee consisted of the following gentlemen : Samuel Joyce, 
Elisha Stetson, Caleb Mills, John A. Page, and Franklin 
Patch. The committee performed their duty acceptably, and 
were directed to build according to the model ; and the con- 
sequence was the spacious and comfortable house now occu- 
pied by the public poor of the town. 

June 28, 1852 : The town appropriated $5,500 for the 
building of the house. It cost $6,450. 



ENGINE-HOUSES. 



Number. 


When built. 


Builders. 


Place. 


Cost. 


No. 2 . . . . 


1848 
1851 
1849 


James Pierce 
James Pierce 
James Pierce 


Union Street 
High Street 
Park Street 


$575.00 

2,375.13 

663.00 



CHAPTER X. 



TRADE. 



Medford having for its friend the richest merchant belonging 
to the " Company " of the Massachusetts Plantation, its trade 
was great at first. 

Oct. 16, 1629 : The General .Court ordered " that the com- 
pany's joint stock shall have the trade of beaver and all other 
furs in those parts, solely, for the term of seven ytars from 
this day." 

May 18, 1631 : " It is ordered that every plantation within 
the limits of this patent shall, before the last day of June 
next, provide common weights and measures, which shall be 
made by some which the governor hath already sealed, and 



350 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



by which also all others that will have weights and measures 
of their own are to be made." 

1635 : Voted that beaver-skins shall pass for ten shillings 
per pound. 

Sept. 6, 1638 : Mr. Cradock's accounts were audited in 
Boston. 

Mr. Cradock's large outlay here, for all the accommodations 
requisite in building schooners and carrying on an extensive 
fishing business, made this region a trading centre. This 
first state of things continued till the withdrawal of Mr. Cra- 
dock's property, a few years after his death. The fishing 
business had been unsuccessful, and no one woald continue 
it. The second period of trade in Medford reached (to 
speak in round numbers) from 1650 to 1750, during which 
time the manufacture of bricks was the most important and 
lucrative business pursued in the town. Other branches gra- 
dually increased. 

1650 to 1700, there were no newspapers, no scientific 
lectures, no bank, no insurance-companies, nc post-office, no 
stage-coaches, no good roads. Must not trade have been 
small ? 

The third period extended from 1750 to 1805. It began 
to be understood that Medford could furnish the staple arti- 
cles of iron, steel, lead, salt, molasses, sugar, tea, codfish, 
chocolate, guns, powder, rum, &c, to country traders at a 
less price than they could get them at Boston. The distil- 
ling business and the manufacture of bricks required many 
lighters to go loaded to Boston : returning, they could 
bring back iron, steel, &c., at small cost. Medford, there- 
fore, by its river, became a centre of supply to country tra- 
ders from New Hampshire and Vermont. Supply begets 
market, as market begets supply. Traders here could pur- 
chase ivory-handled knives, spring-lacks, brass-ware, tin, and 
pewter ; of groceries, every thing but good tea and coffee ; 
of dry goods, Kent linen, cotton. Irish stockings, Turkey 
mohair, red serge, broadcloth, muffs, ribbons, lace, silks, 
combs, napkins, yellow taffety, thread-lace, gloves, &c. Bar- 
ter was the most common form of trade ; and the exchanges 
were made with about half the care and selfishness so active 
at this day. 

Pitch, tar, and turpentine were brought from the interior 
at an early date ; but, in 1755, it became an active business. 
Casks for them were made in Medford ; and the vote of the 



TRADE. 351 

town required that each cask should be examined by a com- 
mittee, and, if well made, then marked with a double M. 
Coopering now became an extensive and profitable branch of 
business. It was begun, before the Revolution, by the 
agency of Mr. Benjamin Hall. Charles Henley, of Boston, 
was his foreman, and superintended it till 1802. Andrew 
Blanchard, Joseph Pierce, and James Kidder were appren- 
tices in Mr. Hall's establishment. 

Mr. Benjamin Hall was among the first and the most active 
of tie Medford merchants. He not only carried on the dis- 
tilling business, but had a large store for wholesale barter. 
It was not uncommon for him to receive a hundred barrels 
of pearl-ashes per day, and five hundred tierces of flax-seed 
pei year. He also carried on the " beef business," having 
seven hundred head of cattle slaughtered each year. Mr. 
Ebeaeser Hall had an equal number slaughtered ; and they 
made all their tallow into candles. The drovers were glad 
to take 'heir pay in sugar, molasses, iron, tea, rum, &c. 

How different this from the course of trade in England, 
where a man was forbidden by law to carry on two mechanic 
trades or different pursuits ! A tanner could not be a shoe- 
maker.. These monopolies and legal restrictions had no 
place in New England ; and their absence was a prime cause 
of our great prosperity. It made every free man a free 
trader. The British Parliament tried to put on the handcuffs 
of restriction : bat the colonists would not wear them. Gal- 
latin says, '• No cause has contributed more to the prospe- 
rity of this country than the absence of those systems of 
internal restriction and monopoly which continue to disfigure 
other countries." 

Mr. Jonathan Porter opened a store of English goods pre- 
vious to the Revolution, and gradually enlarged his business 
till he sold all the heavier articles of inland commerce. 
There are those now living who remember when from twenty 
to thirty " country pungs " were gathered about the doors of 
these Medford traders, discharging and taking in their loads. 
These pungs were drawn by two horses each, and started as 
far north as Montpelier, Vt., and Lancaster, N.H. With 
three large distilleries in full action, and many sloops and 
schooners navigating the river, Medford became one of the 
most active and thriving towns in the Commonwealth. Dis- 
tillation was then esteemed by most persons not only lawful 
and right, but a highly respectable business. With rapid 



352 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

strides, Medford rose in wealth and increased in numbers ; 
and, in 1805, there were many stores opened, where the 
necessaries and conveniences, and even the ornaments and 
luxuries, of life could be obtained at as cheap a rate as in 
Boston. 

The fourth period of trade in Medford extends from 1805 
to the present time. The ship-building, the introduction of 
steam, the Middlesex Canal, the immigration of Bostonkns 
to this place, — these all helped to open new avenues to 
wealth, and increase the facilities of supply. Within this 
period, more than half the present number of houses have 
been built ; and there are now five public highways where 
there was one fifty years ago. The whole course of trade Las 
changed from barter to cash payments or credits ; and cne 
trader now can do as much in a year as three could it the 
beginning of this century. The number of gentlemen vho 
reside here, and do business in Boston, is very large, and 
they are multiplying every month. The cars on both rail- 
roads are filled every morning, — the earliest with laborers, 
the next with merchants, and the last with ladies. 

During the embargo, in 1808, an old black schooner came 
up Mystic River with a deck-load of wood and bark. A 
custom-house officer from Boston took possession of her as 
a suspected smuggler. The captain invited the officer to 
take supper with him in the cabin. They sat and ate 
together ; and the captain asked to be excused a moment 
while he gave an order to his men. No sooner had he 
arrived on deck than he turned and fastened the cabin door. 
Extempore Indians were ready to unload the hold of the 
schooner, which was full of English goods, wire^ &c, from 
Halifax. During half the night, horse-wagons were passing 
to Boston from the old wharf, owned by Francis Shed, below 
the ship-yard. Some teams went to Maiden, and .some to 
West Cambridge. The amounts were very large, and the 
goods of the costliest kinds. The planting of that night 
produced a rich harvest. The goods were never discovered ; 
but the vessel was condemned and confiscated. How 
soundly the officer slept is not known. 

MANUFACTURES. 

Of these Medford has never had many, in the modern ac- 
ceptation of the term. Among the first settlers, every house 



MANUFACTURES. 



353 



was, in one sense, a factory ; for almost every one had a 
spinning-wheel and loom. For the early ship-building, there 
must have been extensive iron-works ; and much weaving of 
cotton and wool must have been necessary to supply the 
large numbers of fishermen and brick-makers. Much wool 
was cleaned, carded, and rolled at the mill of Mr. John Al- 
bree, who was a manufacturer of starch and pomatum. Leav- 
ing out brick-making, ship-building, and distilling, we have 
little to record. "Wooden heels were made by Mr. Samuel 
Reeves, 1750 ; and specimens of his work are yet among his 
great-grandchildren in Medford. Candles and hogsheads 
were extensively made, about the same time, by Messrs. 
Benjamin and Ebenezer Hall. Saltpetre was made in con- 
siderable quantities by Mr. Isaac Brooks. Wheelwrights 
carried on their business to a large extent. Mr. James Tufts 
and Son carried on for many years the pottery business. 
Tanning was vigorously pursued, with a great outlay of capi- 
tal, by Mr. Ebenezer Hall, on land a few rods south-west of 
the Episcopal church ; and by Mr. Jonathan Brooks, on land 
near Marble Brook, now owned by Mr. Noah Johnson. The 
first tan-yard in Medford was on the corner lot south- 
east of Whitmore's Bridge. It was bounded ovi the east by 
the brook, on the west by Lowell Street, and on the north by 
High Street. It was last owned by Mr. Nathan Tufts and 
Mr. Jonathan Brooks, in company. When they sold it, Mr. 
Tufts moved to Charlestown, and became the most extensive 
manufacturer of leather in the State. 

At Baconville, now in Winchester, Medford had a factory, 
first owned by Mr. Josiali Symmes. About forty years ago, 
a company of Boston gentlemen purchased the water-power 
of Mr. Symmes, for the purpose of setting in motion a new 
machine for spinning yarn for the manufacture of broadcloth. 
This project, introduced by a Frenchman, failed; and the 
mill-power was then applied to the manufacture of wood 
screws, by a machine entirely new. This would have suc- 
ceeded; but, the war of 1812 with Great Britain having 
ended, wood screws were imported from England so cheap 
as to render competition ruinous. John L. Sullivan, Esq., 
the chief agent, afterwards sold the establishment to Mr. 
Stowell for $4,000, through whom it came into possession of 
its present owner, Robert Bacon, Esq. He has built three 
factories and two dwelling-houses, which have been burned ; 
three in 1840, the last in 1843. 

45 



354 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Since writing the above, we are called to record another 
destructive fire at Baconville of the factories there. They 
were burned Sunday evening, April 8, 1855. 

Mr. Bacon brought his machinery from Boston to Medford 
in 1824, and manufactured hat-bodies, feltings, &c, employ- 
ing eighteen or twenty men. Once only he counted ; and in 
that year he formed 83,000 hat-bodies. This work was done 
by the use of Silas Mason's patent, and T. F. Mayhew's im- 
proved machine. He also planked many thousands yearly ; 
which operation was by the use of Macomber's patent, and 
his own improvement. He also blowed the hair from fur, 
by the use of Arnold Buffom's patent blowing-machine. 
This process was truly ingenious. It was accomplished by 
placing the fur on the apron, which was drawn upon a cylin- 
drical picker, revolving at the rate of five thousand times a 
minute ; thence it was thrown to a fan revolving at nearly 
the same speed ; this sent it through a trunk sixty feet long 
into a closet. The bottom of the trunk was lined with coarse 
cloth ; the hair, being heaviest, fell and stuck to the cloth : 
the consequence was that the fur was almost entirely cleared 
of the hair, and thus the hats were finer. This business he 
continued till 1848, when he resigned it to his son, who has 
changed the business to the manufacture of all kinds of felt- 
ings and lambs'-wool wadding. Among the feltings he has 
invented a new kind, called sheathing felt, used for cover- 
ing the bottoms of ships : it can also be placed under the 
copper, and is much used in covering steam-boilers and pipes. 

The making of linseed oil was carried on by Mr. George 
L. Stearns, on land about fifty rods south of Mystic Bridge. 
He imported his seed from Calcutta. A convention of manu- 
facturers of this oil was held at New York in 1841 ; and they 
agreed to send a committee to Washington, to induce Con- 
gress to shape the tariff of 1842 so as to protect them. The 
committee succeeded; and Mr. Stearns was one of them. 
The effect was the opposite of what they expected : it induced 
so many new men to begin the business that it ruined 
it. From 1835, the manufactory in Medford continued 
in operation to 1845, when it suspended activity. It 
resumed work for a year, when the building was burned in 
1847. 

The factory of Messrs. Waterman and Litchfield, for the 
making of doors, blinds, window-sashes, &c, is a large and 
flourishing establishment, near the entrance of Medford Turn- 



BRICK-MAKING. 355 

pike. It is operated by steam-power, and is extensively pa- 
tronized by house-carpenters for planing boards. 

The mechanics and artisans of Medford, in their various 
departments, have excellent reputation, and much property. 



BRICK-MAKING. 

The large deposits of valuable clay within the town of 
Medford early directed the attention of the enterprising in- 
habitants to the manufacture of bricks ; and those made in 
1630 for Mr. Cradock's house were the first. Bricks were 
made on Colonel Royal's estate. Clay deposits were found 
between his mansion-house and the river. A most extensive 
and profitable business was carried on in these yards for 
many years. At a later date, say 1750, bricks were made on 
land directly north of Dr. Tufts's house. The steep bank 
now in front of Mr. George W. Porter's house marks the 
place. This land, called Brick-yard Pasture, was owned by 
Rev. Matthew Byles, of Boston, and sold by him to Dr. Si- 
mon Tufts, March 26, 1761. 

Nov. 14, 1774, the town passed the following vote : 
" That this town does disapprove of any bricks being carried 
to Boston till the committees of the neighboring towns shall 
consent to it." 

In 1785, Stephen Hall willed " the brick-yards now in the 
occupation of Thomas Bradshaw, and Samuel Tufts, jun." 
About this time, Captain Caleb Blanchard and his brother 
Simon made bricks in a yard near Mr. Cradock's house, in 
the eastern part of the town ; and afterwards in a yard on land 
opposite the Maiden Alms-house, just on the borders of East 
Medford. 

The bricks used for the construction of the six tombs first 
built in the old burying-ground were made in a yard owned 
by Thomas Brooks, Esq. That yard was near M,ystic River, 
about half-way between Rock Hill and the Lowell Railroad 
Bridge. In that yard, Samuel Francis made bricks as early 
as 1750, and sold them at ten shillings per thousand (law- 
ful money). Mr: Brooks carried on the manufacture in 
1760, and sold them at fifteen shillings. Mr. Stephen Hall 
was the next occupant of that yard, which has been discon- 
tinued since 1800. In 1795, the price was four dollars. 

Captain Caleb Brooks made bricks on the land occupied 



356 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

by the second meeting-house. The banks remain visible at 
this time. 

A bed of clay was opened, in 1805, about forty rods east 
of the Wear Bridge, on land belonging to Spencer Bucknam, 
lying on the north side of the road. Only one kiln was 
burned there. 

Fountain-yards. — These yards, which were near the 
" Fountain House," about eighty rods east of " Gravelly 
Bridge," were early in order of age. Messrs. William Tufts, 
Thomas Bradshaw, Hutchinson Tufts, Benjamin Tufts, and 
Sylvanus Blanchard were the manufacturers in that locality. 
These yards have been discontinued within our day. 

Yards near the "Cradock House" were opened in 1630. 
Mr. Francis Shedd occupied them in 1700. 

"Sodom-yards." — As the familiar and improper sobri- 
quet of Sodom was early given to that part of Medford which 
lies south of the river, the brick -yards, opened by the brothers 
Isaac, Jonathan, and Ebenezer Tufts, obtained the local 
name. After these gentlemen came Seth Tufts, who, with 
his son Seth, carried on the business till recently. These 
yards were situated near Middlesex Canal and the river, about 
south-south-east from Rock Hill. 

The next in order of age were the yards opened in 1810 by 
Nathan Adams, Esq. They were situated each side of the 
old county road, leading from Medford over Winter Hill, and 
were about half a mile south of the " Great Bridge," in the 
small valley on the borders of Winter Brook. From the first 
kiln, Captain Adams built the house now standing on the 
right side of the road, twenty rods north of the kiln, as an 
advertisement ; and the bricks show the goodness of the clay 
and the skill of the workmen. These yards were next occu- 
pied by Mr. Babbitt, but have been discontinued for ten or 
fifteen years. 

We presume that bricks have been made in many places 
now unknown to us ; for nearly the whole of Medford seems 
to have a deep stratum of pure clay under it. 

The facility of procuring pine, chestnut, and hemlock -wood 
by the Middlesex Canal made this branch of business pro- 
fitable ; but when steam navigation could bring bricks from 
Maine, where wood was half the price it bore here, the Med- 
ford trade was fatally curtailed. The bricks were carted to 
Boston at great cost, which gave the yards in Charlestown 
an advantage over ours. If they were taken in "lighters," 



SHIP-BT T IT.DING. 357 

by the river, this did not much lessen the expenses of trans- 
portation, but increased the risks of fracture. The high 
price of labor, of wood, and of cartage, rendered competition 
unwise ; and the manufacture of bricks has ceased. 



SHIP-BUILDING. 

Governor Winthrop sailed from Cowes, in England, on 
Thursday, April 8, 1630. On Saturday, June 12, he reached 
Boston Bay ; and, on the 17th of that month, he makes the 
following record : " Went up Mistick River about six miles." 

To this heroic and Christian adventurer belongs the honor 
of building the first vessel whose keel was laid in this part of 
the Western World ; and that vessel was built on the bank 
of Mystic River, and probably not far from the governor's 
house at " Ten Hills." There is a tradition that it was built 
on the north shore of the river, and therefore within the limits 
of Medford. The record concerning it is as follows : " July 
4, 1631. The governor built a bark at Mistick, which was 
launched this day, and called ' The Blessing of the Bay.' " 

" Aug. 9, the same year, the governor's bark, being of 
thirty tons, went to sea." 

It cost one hundred and forty-five pounds. The owner 
said of it, May 16, 1636, " I will sell her for one hundred 
and sixty pounds." 

There was something singularly prophetic in the fact that 
the first vessel built "at Mistick" should have so increased 
in price after five years of service. Our day has seen the 
prophecy fulfilled ; as it is no marvel now for a Medford ship 
to command a higher price after having had a fair trial at sea. 

The second year (1632) witnessed another vessel built 
by Mr. Cradock on the bank of the Mystic, whose register was 
a hundred tons. In 1633, a ship of two hundred tons was 
built ; and another, named " Rebecca," tonnage unknown : 
both built by Mr. Cradock. Mr. William Wood, in 1633, 
writes : " Mr. Cradock is here at charges of building ships. 
The last year, one was upon the stocks of a hundred tons : 
that being finished, they are to build twice her burden." 
There is reason to believe that Mr. Cradock's ship-yard was 
that now occupied by Mr. J. T. Foster. 

That large vessels could float in the river had been proved 
by the governor, who may be called the first navigator of our 



358 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

narrow and winding stream. The long passages made by 
these schooners prove to us, that their form and rig were not 
after the model and fashion of our day. One of them was 
" six weeks going to Virginea." The build and rigging, 
now so peculiarly American, have no superiors in the world ; 
and Medford has long stood among the leaders in improved 
naval architecture. 

There is a tradition, probably founded on fact, that small 
sloops, called lighters, fit for the river navigation, were built 
in very early times at the " landing " near " Rock Hill," in 
West Medford. At a later day, one of these was built there 
by Mr. Rhodes, of Boston, and called the Mayflower, in 
honor of that vessel of one hundred and eighty tons which 
came across the Atlantic freighted to the full with religion 
and liberty, and which landed our Pilgrim Fathers on the Rock 
of Plymouth. The registers of this small craft are lost, if 
they ever existed ; as no trace of them can be found in the 
records of the Custom House at Boston, or in those of the 
Secretary of the Navy at Washington. This business of ship- 
building, beginning in 1631, and increasing annually for 
several years, required many men, who required houses and 
food within the town. 

The origin of the name of schooners is thus given in the 
Massachusetts Historical Collection. Mr. Andrew Robinson, 
of Gloucester, Mass., built and rigged a small vessel having 
two masts. At the moment of launching, a bystander cried 
out, " Oh, how she scoons ! " Robinson instantly replied, 
" A schooner let her be." And thus they named her. The 
first bark built in Plymouth colony was built by private 
subscription ; and the paper bears date of January 24, 1641. 
It was about fifty tons, and cost two hundred pounds. 

That modelling is the difficult point in ship-building, is 
proved by the fact that science has so slowly approached that 
form which will safely carry the largest burden in the shortest 
time. From Noah's ark, which was not built for sailing, to 
the last improved clipper of our day, the science of modelling 
has produced strange results. How far the ark was a life- 
preserver of the arts of the antediluvians, we know not; 
but we cannot suppose it has done much more for ship-build- 
ins: than the shell of the nautilus or the sternum of the duck. 
That some arts are lost, there can be no doubt. We cannot 
embalm as did the ancient Egyptians, nor lift as they did the 
stones of their pyramids ; we have not the petrifying cement 



SHIP-BUILDING. 359 

with which Appius Claudius built the aqueducts of Rome, 
Sesostris those of Egypt, Semiramis those of Babylon, and 
Hezekiah those of Jerusalem ; but we think that no good art m 
ship-architecture has ever been lost ; and we believe that the 
Medford model of this year has never been surpassed. Ihe 
speed and safety of our ships are proofs of our remark. 

The " Arbella," of four hundred tons, which brought Go- 
vernor Winthrop, was sixty-five days on its passage,— -a 
period in which a Medford sailing ship now can cross the 
Atlantic four times. 

"Oct. 7, 1641: General Court. — Whereas the country is now 
in hand with the building of ships, which is a business of great im- 
portance for the common good, and therefore suitable care is to be 
taken that it be well performed; it is therefore ordered, that when 
any ship is to be built within this jurisdiction, it shall be lawful tor 
the owners to appoint and put in some able man to survey the work 
and workmen from time to time, to see that it be performed and 
carried on according to the rules of their art." 

Who were delegated for this singular supervisory duty in 
Medford, or how much our ship-carpenters relished it, we 
are not told. May 29, 1644, the General Court proposed the 
formation of a company of ship-builders, " with power to regu- 
late the building of ships, and to make such orders and laws 
amongst themselves as may conduce to the public good. 

Mystic River, having no fatal shoals or rocks within it, per- 
mits the passage of an empty ship of twenty-five hundred 
tons at the highest tides. If we can suppose a sea-serpent 
to have started from Charlestown for a visit to the country, 
and a small stream of tide-water to have followed him in his 
explorations, we can imagine him thus marking out by his 
many and sudden windings the course of our river from Bos- 
ton Bay to the Pond, — rendering it thus serpentine in order 
to present the best accommodations to the greatest number of 
ship-builders. Where can a little river be found that will 
afford convenient sites for ten large ship-yards within one 
mile's distance ? When, in one of these yards, we have seen 
from one to three vessels on the stocks at the same time, and 
have listened to that well-known, busy hum that comes from 
the boring of augers, the cutting of saws, and the driving of 
bolts, we have felt that a more glorious exhibition of human 
industry could nowhere be witnessed. To the gentlemen 
who have been at the head of this great enterprise, Medford 
is deeply indebted. Since the first of them came, real estate 



360 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

has more than doubled in the town ; and land which was 
sold for thirty or fifty dollars an acre has since been sold 
for two or five hundred per acre. The names of Magoun, 
Turner, Lapham, Sprague, James, Fuller, Rogers, Stetson, 
Waterman, Ewell, Curtis, Foster, Taylor, and others, will be 
held in grateful remembrance for many generations. 

Mr. Calvin Turner was esteemed as one of the most skilful 
and accurate draughtsmen, as well as one of the most faithful 
builders, in New England. His yard was opposite Cross 
Street. He came to Medford in 1804, and rapidly acquired 
reputation by his genius and fidelity. 

Mr. George Bryant Lapham was among the earliest comers 
connected with ship-building here. By patient industry, 
sound judgment, and unobtrusive merit, he won confidence, 
and commanded respect. Of others we should be glad to 
speak, did our limits allow. 

Of the pioneer in this eventful movement of ship-building, 
we may take the liberty of stating a few facts, as they belong 
to the history of the town. 

Thatcher Magoun, Esq., was born in Pembroke, Mass., 
June 17, 1775, — that red-letter day in Freedom's calendar. 
He early chose the trade of a ship-carpenter, and served his 
time with Mr. Enos Briggs, at Salem, where he worked five 
years. He was fond of being in the " mould-room," and 
soon showed good reasons for his predilection. From Salem, 
he went to Mr. Barker's yard, in Charlestown (the present 
Navy Yard), where he worked and studied two years, and 
assisted in modelling. There he made the model of the first 
vessel he built, which was the " Mount iEtna," of Medford. 
In 1802, he began to look about him for a place in which he 
might safely begin, on his own account, the business which 
was the darling choice of his life. An accident, so called in 
the world's language, led him, one pleasant day, on a stroll 
upon "Winter Hill ; and, standing on one of those mounds of 
earth thrown up by our patriot soldiers, probably on the day 
he was born, for a rampart, he took a calm survey of Mystic 
River as the tide gave its full outline. At this moment came 
into mind the thought that here was a good place to build 
ships. But many things were to be ascertained about it. 
How deep is the water at high tide ? Are there any rocks 
or shoals in the bed of the stream ? Can timber be readily 
got in the neighborhood ? and can land be bought at a fair 
price ? These were inquiries which rushed through his young 



SHIP-BUILDING. 361 

soul, and he felt that they must be answered. As his eye 
was searching river and woods, he saw the two masts of a 
schooner, which was lying at one of the distil-house wharves, 
in Medford. He immediately started for her. This was his 
first visit to Medford. He reached the schooner; and his 
eager question to the captain was, " How much water do you 
draw?" Answer, "Ten feet." « What's your tonnage ? " 
Answer, " One hundred and twenty tons." "Do you go 
up and down the river often ? " " Yes, I bring wood for 
this distillery." "Are there any large rocks or bad shoals in 
the bed of the river ? " " No, it's all clear." " How deep is 
the water generally at high tide ? " "I guess from fifteen 
to twenty feet." " Do you think an empty ship of three 
hundred tons could float down the river ? " " Oh, yes." 
After this conversation, he silently concluded to make the 
trial. He found intelligent and affluent citizens in Medford 
who were ready to aid him ; but he told them " he could not 
afford to be helped." A young man thus afraid of debts 
would be likely to succeed without foreign aid. Young 
Magoun thus illustrated the common remark, that, where 
fathers do every thing for their sons, the sons do nothing for 
themselves ; and, where fathers can do nothing for their 
sons, the sons do every thing for themselves ; making the 
difference between the giant and the dwarf. Some advised 
his beginning to build above the bridge. He accordingly 
examined the bed of the river, and the depth of the water at 
low tide, by fording and wading ; and thus decided not to 
fix himself there. He then weighed the reasons for prefer- 
ring other places, till he finally concluded in favor of the 
spot where he first settled, and where all his ships have been 
built. His convictions being firm, that the river could float 
any vessel he might build, that the neighborhood could fur- 
nish an ample supply of oak timber, and that the site he had 
chosen could be purchased at a moderate price, he made an 
offer, which was accepted. Thus 1802 saw laid the first 
keel of that fleet of ocean merchant ships whose sails have 
shaded every sea and bay on the navigable globe. Honor to 
him to whom honor is due ! Mr. Magoun lives to see his 
favorite science and art carried to new triumphs ; and, rest- 
ing in the affluence that follows his labor, may he long enjoy 
that respect and gratitude which society loves to give to its 
real benefactors ! 

Timber was procured from Medford, Maiden, Woburn, 

46 



362 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Burlington, Lexington, Stoneham, Andover, and their adjoin- 
ing towns. Mr. Magoun's first purchase of it was trees 
standing in what is now Winchester. He gave six dollars 
per ton : the seller was to cut and deliver it. It was more 
difficult to get the white-oak plank. When the Middlesex 
Canal was opened, a supply came through that channel ; and 
large rafts were floated into the river through a side lock, 
which was near the entrance of Medford Turnpike. With 
our first builders, their price per ton for building was twenty- 
five dollars ; but they furnished only the wood and labor, 
— every thing else was furnished by the owner. The best 
oak plank can yet be procured, though at an advanced price. 
The " southern hard pine " is more used than ever as a sub- 
stitute, because it is so cut into long plank as to make less 
work to the builder. The materials for building at Med- 
ford may all be procured at a rate which will allow as favor- 
able terms as at any other place, especially when the compa- 
rative rent of yards is included. If the water in the river 
had been deep enough for the large ships of the present day, 
the yards above the bridge would never have been aban- 
doned. 

The increase of size in our Medford ships has been gra- 
dual. The " Columbiana," built in 1837, was the first of 
six hundred tons ; and the " Ocean Express," the first of two 
thousand tons. The ship " Shooting Star " was the first 
clipper built here ; and the " George Peabody," the first ves- 
sel that passed the bridges on Mystic River, after the draws 
had been widened according to the direction of the Legis- 
lature. 

The Rev. A. R. Baker preached a sermon on ship-building, 
in 1846, to which is appended a " register of vessels built in 
Medford." He says, " I have enrolled them so as to present 
the year of their construction, their description and name, 
the yard in which they were built, the name of their respec- 
tive builders and first owners, the residence of the latter, the 
tonnage of each vessel, the amount of tonnage, and the value 
of the vessels built here, estimating the hull, spars, and blocks 
of each at forty-five dollars per ton." The register has been 
brought down, for this history, from 1846 to 1855. 

From this register, it appears that five hundred and thir- 
teen vessels have been built in Medford between the begin- 
ning of the present century and the year 1855, with .an 
aggregate of two hundred and thirty-two thousand two hun- 



SHIP-WJILDING. 363 

dred and six tons ; and at a cost, according to the above esti- 
mate, of ten millions four hundred and forty-nine thousand 
two hundred and seventy dollars. The greatest number 
constructed in any one yard is one hundred and eighty -five ; 
and, in any single year, thirty. That year was 1845. 

" The tonnage of the vessels built here in that year," says Mr. 
Baker, " was nine thousand seven hundred and twelve tons ; and 
their aggregate, as they left our yards, about tialf a million of dol- 
lars. The shortest space in which a vessel was ever built in the 
town was twenty-six days. Her name was < The Avon,' a ship of 
four hundred tons, which, with two others built here about the same 
period, served as privateers in the last war with the mother coun- 
try. In the five years preceding April 1, 1837, sixty vessels were 
built in this town, which employed two hundred thirty-nine work- 
men, and of which the measurement was twenty-four thousand one 
hundred and ninety-five tons, and the value one million one hun- 
dred and twelve thousand nine hundred and seventy dollars. All 
those constructed in the count/, except eleven, were built here. 
The value of these sixty was about one-sixth of all the shipping 
built in the Commonweal^ during the same period. In the year 
preceding April 1, 1845, twenty-four ships were launched here, 
which employed two hundred and fifty men, whose tonnage was 
nine thousand six hundred and sixty, and whose value was half a 
million of dollars. In that year, one-quarter of the ship-builders in 
the Commonwealth were employed in this town, and built nearly 
one-quarter of the ships constructed in the State, one-third of the 
tonnage, and one-half the value of the whole. From this result, so 
creditable to our town, it appears that a given number of workmen 
here build larger and more valuable vessels than those which are 
commonly constructed in other parts of the Commonwealth. 

" Of these vessels, two merit a special notice. The first was 
framed and put together in the oldest yard in the town ; then taken 
dowa, transported to Boston, and put on board the ' Thaddeus,' 
commanded by a gentleman of this village, who carried out with it 
the first missionaries to the Sandwich Islands, where it laid the 
foundation for this useful art. The other is the 'Falcon,' by 
the same builder, in 1817, — the most remarkable vessel that ever 
floated in our river, famed not for any wonderful beauty or perfect- 
ness of construction. Others may have sailed swifter, and been 
finer models ; but, in one important respect, this vessel surpassed 
all before it, — and we trust that no others will ever have an opporr 
tunity to rival it, — it was the first vessel built in this town without 
rum. Previously, the keel was laid, and each part of the work 
accomplished, by the stimulus of ardent spirit. Each vessel was 
profanely christened with rum. He who first took this noble stand 
in the cause of temperance, in that day when all was drunkenness 
around, deserves our thanks, and ought to be encouraged in every 



364 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

good work by the result of that effort. The resolution was formed 
on a bright autumnal morning, as the only means of preserving the 
virtue of several apprentices, and at first called forth ridicule and 
reproach. No rum ! no rum ! ! Avas written by these young devo- 
tees of Bacchus on every clapboard of the workshop, on each tim- 
ber and chip in the yard. Some refused to work ; others cursed 
and swore. But firmness gave opportunity for reflection, which, in 
a few, approved the decision, whose number increased, till, in two 
years, they became the majority, and, in five, drove the monster 
from every yard, — a result in which we heartily rejoice." 

The sermon gives a religious aspect to ship-building. It 
may symbolize human life. The wood and metals of which 
a hull is composed come from the earth ; and in that ship's 
body are represented the mind of the moulder, the skill' of the 
architect, the hand of the carpenter, the smith, and the calker : 
and these most important parts are so blended as to attract 
least notice ; while the labors of the sailmaker and the rigger, 
the taste of the carver, and the coloring of the painter, catch 
the eye and charm the mind. The hour of launching is the 
hour of its birth. The anxiety of the builder then has its 
parallel elsewhere. It goes an infant to its new life to begin 
its world-journey. How important that it should be well 
found! How important that its compass, like a good con- 
science, should be ever in order ; that its pilots and mariners 
should be ever quick for duty ; and, above all, that its lading 
should be such, that, like virtue, it will secure wealth to its 
owner in the distant market ! So, in this voyage of human 
life, if we rrut good works on board and wait the wind, if 
we take for our chart the word of God and are faithful to 
its heavenly bearings, we shall safely pass the dangers of 
the sea, as we sail towards that port of death to which all 
gales drive us ; and, having cast that anchor which can never 
be weighed, we shall find a safe moorage in the haven of 
eternal peace. 

The ships of our day and of our town have borne the mis- 
sionaries of the cross, with their printing-presses and Bibles, 
to the heathen of benighted lands ; and the ancient prediction 
seems here in one sense fulfilled. Historic truth, without 
any violation of language, may now say of Medford what 
the prophet Ezekiel says of Tyrus : " The ships of Tarshish 
did sing of thee in thy market ; and thou wast replenished 
and made very glorious in the midst of the seas." 

"When we consider how much ship-building has done for 



SHIP-BUILDIXG. 365 

our beautiful village; how many comfortable dwellings it 
has reared, how many thousands of human beings it has 
fed, how many children it has taught, how many homes it has 
blessed, and how much suffering it has soothed ; when we 
also consider that the ships which have gone from us are 
busy in honorable trade, bringing comforts and wealth to 
their various owners, extending the knowledge and securities 
of commerce, defending us in war, and promoting Christian 
brotherhood in peace ; when we sum up these domestic 
benefactions and these foreign bounties, we are moved to a 
devout acknowledgment of the wisdom and care of God. 



3ce> 



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FISHERIES. 381 



FISHERIES. 



To Medford belongs the honor of establishing the first 
fisheries in " London's Plantation of Massachusetts Bay." 
Careful and costly preparations for this business were made 
in England, in 1629, by Mr. Cradock, who believed it the 
most promising investment then offered from the New 
World. In the company's " first general letter," under date 
of April IT, 1629, is indicated a course of trade which was to 
be pursued by the Medford fishermen. It is thus : — 

' ; TVe have sent five weigh of salt in the ' TVhelpe,' and ten weigh 
in the ' Talbot.' If there be shallops to be had to fish withal, and 
the season of the year fit, pray let the fishermen (of which we send 
six from Dorchester), together with some of the ship's company, 
endeavor to take fish ; and let it be well saved with the said salt, and 
packed up in hogsheads ; and send it home by the ' Talbot ' or 
< Lion's Whelpe.' " 

At the same time they send " a seine, being a net to fish 
with." May 28, 1629, they say,— 

" TTe send salt, lines, hooks, knives, boots, &cc, for the fishermen, 
desiring our men may be employed in harbor, or upon the Bank. 
If you send ships to fish on the Bank, and expect them not to return 
again to the plantation, &c." 

By this it appears that those vessels which had caught a 
cargo of fish " on the Bank " were expected to take them 
thence to London. Sept. 3, 1635, the General Court chose 
a committee of six " for setting forward and managing a fish- 
ing trade." That fishing was profitable, we have the follow- 
ing early record: "Thirty -five ships sailed this year (1622) 
from the west of England, and two from London, to fish on 
the New England coasts ; and made profitable voyages." 
Through the instrumentality of our fishing interest, the Gene- 
ral Court passed the following order. May 22, 1639 : " For 
further encouragement of men to set upon fishing, it is or- 
dered, that such ships and vessels and other stock as shall be 
properly employed and adventured in taking, making, and 
transporting of fish according to the course of fishing voy- 
ages, and the fish itself, shall be exempt, for seven years 
from henceforth, from all country charges." To show how 
minute was the fostering care of our fathers on this point, we 
have the following order of June 2, 1641: "It is ordered 



38£ HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

that fishermen shall have their fish for bait at the same rate 
that others have at the wears, and be first served." " The 
property of Governor Cradock, invested at Medford for fish- 
ing and other purposes," was large. Mr. Savage says, " He 
maintained a small plantation for fishing at Mistick, in the 
present bounds of Maiden, opposite to Winthrop's farm, at 
Ten Hills." Complaint was made by our fishermen of a law, 
passed by Plymouth Colony, which laid a tax of five shillings 
on "every share of fish" caught by strangers "at the Cape." 
From all that we can gather, we conclude that Mr. Cradock 
had invested as much as fifteen thousand dollars, Avhich in 
various trade here must have made Medford a thriving and 
populous plantation for an infant settlement. The fishing 
business continued for fifteen or twenty years, but with less 
and less profit to Mr. Cradock. It was finally abandoned as 
a failure ; and afterwards the river-fishing alone claimed 
attention. 

May, 1639 : The price of alewives in Medford, at this time, 
was five shillings per thousand. This made food incredibly 
cheap. 

That Mystic River, as a resort for fish, was early known 
and greatly valued, appears from many testimonies. In 
Josselyn's account of his two voyages to New England (1638) 
we have the following record : " The river Mistick runs 
through the right side of the town (Charlestown), and, by its 
near approach to Charles River in one place, makes a very 
narrow neck, where stands most part of the town. The mar- 
ket-place, not far from the water-side, is surrounded with 
houses." In Mystic River were " bass, shad, alewives, 
frost-fish, and smelts." Josselyn says, " "We will return to 
Charlestown again, where the river Mistick runs on the north 
side of the town (that is, the right side, as before said), where, 
on the north-west side, is the town of Mistick, three miles 
from Charlestown, a league and a half by water, — a scattered 
village. At the head of this river are great and spacious 
ponds, full of alewives in the spring-time ; the notedest place 
for this sort of fish." This quotation from Josselyn, while it 
goes to prove that bass, shad, and alewives were no strangers 
in our rivers, shows likewise that the population of our town 
was then settled chiefly between the two brick houses now 
standing, and that the place was called Mistick. The 
" Wear " or Fishing Dam in Medford was at the outlet of the 
Pond ; and, as our river was " the notedest place " for fish in 



FISHERIES. 



383 



the early days of our plantation, we presume that the " seine, 
being a net sent to fish with," was the first seine ever drawn 
in its waters, and the first drawn on this continent. This 
was probably in 1631 ; and the first draught was doubtless an 
event of liveliest interest, of raw wonder, and exceeding joy. 
If any web or filament of that pioneer "seine" had come 
down to us, it would be fitting for the town, in the year 
1881, to parade it as the banner, and under it to unite in 
celebrating the fifth fishermen's jubilee on the river. June 
6, 1639 : " It is ordered that all wears shall be set open from 
the last day of the week, at noon, till the second day in the 
morning." 

Johnson, in his "Wonder-working Providence," says, 
" The Lord is pleased to provide for them great store of fish 
in the spring-time, and especially alewives, about the bigness 
of a herring. Many thousands of these they use to put 
under their Indian corn." 

Had Mr. Cradock's letters to his agents in Medford been 
preserved, we should certainly have in them a complete his- 
tory of the fishing establishment he maintained here, and 
probably a comparative estimate of sea and river fishing. 
The introduction of the drag-net, in 1631, when Mystic 
River was full of fish, was an example that would be followed 
more and more, as proper seines could be knit and easy mar- 
kets secured. The narrowness of the river, the steepness of its 
banks, its freedom from rocks, and its many convenient land- 
ing-places, rendered net-fishing easy and cheap. It settled 
down into a regular business, and any one had a right to 
pursue it. We have no account of the intermittent run of. 
certain fish, as witnesssd in our time ; but presume it may 
not have been so remarkable then, when dams and water- 
wheels had not impeded or frightened the finny adventurers, 
or when filth and poisons had not made their highways dan- 
gerous. We think it will be found that several species of 
fish will have periodic returns to places which they have left 
for many years. 

Acts of legislation have not been wanting by our town or 
State ; but the fish care nothing about votes. The first men- 
tion of specific action by the town, as such, is dated Jan. 
18, 1768, when it was voted " to petition the General Court 
concerning the fishery in this town." 

March 3, 1768 : Mr. Benjamin Hall and others petition 
the General Court "for liberty to draw with seines, at two 



384 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

different places in Mistick River, three days in a week." This 
petition was not acted upon for some years. 

The next act of the General Court, touching this prolific 
trade in Medford, was in Feb. 16, 1789, and was as fol- 
lows : — 

" An act to prevent the destruction of fish called shad and ale- 
wives in Mystic River, so called, within the towns of Cambridge, 
Charlestown, and Medford, and for repealing all laws heretofore 
made for that purpose. 

" Whereas the fishery in Mystic River, in the county of Middle- 
sex, if properly regulated, will be of great public utility, as it serves 
to promote the cod-fishery, and is also of advantage to the particu- 
lar towns through which the river runs, affording, in some measure, 
subsistence and support to the inhabitants thereof, and is therefore 
necessary to be preserved," &c. 

The act provides that each of the three towns is empowered 
to choose a committee for the preservation of fish, whose duty 
it shall be to keep out of the river all obstructions to the 
free ingress of the fish. The act grants to Cambridge the 
right to fish, within the limits of that town, on Monday, 
Tuesday, and Friday ; and to Charlestown and Medford the 
right of fishing, within the limits of those towns, on Monday, 
Wednesday, and Friday, — from the first of March to the 
last day of June. Penalty for each violation of the law, 
three pounds. In this act, the right of each inhabitant to 
fish is recognized and secured. If persons from other towns 
should either stop or catch fish in this river, they shall each be 
fined three pounds for every such offence ; and the committee 
shall have power to arrest them, and sell their seines, drag- 
nets, marsh-nets, baskets, or any other implements used by 
them. " This act to be in use five years, and no longer." 

Immediately on the passage of this act, the town pro- 
ceeded, April 2, 1798, to a new step, indicated in the follow- 
ing vote : " Voted that the town will let out their fishing- 
grounds to the highest bidder the present year." While this 
vote was based upon the original right of the town to 
the fisheries within its borders, some minor questions arose, 
which led the inhabitants, at the same meeting, to choose a 
committee to inquire into the rights of the town to the fish- 
ing-grounds. The result was, that, Jan. 21, 1803, the town 
" voted that a petition be presented to the General Court, at 
their present session, to enable the town to let out the right 
of taking fish in Mystic River, within the limits of the town." 



FISHERIES. 385 

The Legislature granted the petition ; and Medford then 
divided the fishing districts thus : " First, from Charlestown 
and Maiden line to Medford Bridge ; second, from the 
bridge to the beach opposite James Tufts's barn; third, 
from the above-named beach to the Charlestown line west- 
erly." 

Among the earliest fishermen were John Cutter, Jonathan 
Tufts, and Benjamin Teel. In 1803, Cutter paid sixty-five 
dollars, Tufts thirteen dollars, and Teel thirteen dollars, for 
the right of fishing. 

John Cutter fished near the " Dike," or "Labor in Vain ; " 
Isaac Tufts fished from the Bridge to Rock Hill ; and Captain 
Samuel Teel and his nephew, from Rock Hill to the Pond. 
The names of the fishermen are seldom given in the records. 
Charles, Simon, and Seth Tufts are there. In 1812, the 
fishermen paid one hundred dollars for the right. The ave- 
rage, for twenty years, has been two hundred and fifty 
dollars. 

In accordance with the decision of the Legislature, the 
town voted, March 14, 1803, to sell their right of fishing in 
Mystic River. It was sold for ninety-one dollars, at public 
auction. The next year it was sold, in the same manner, for 
one hundred and six dollars : and this equitable mode of 
disposing of it became established ; and the premium offered 
continued for several years to increase. 

The vote of the town was generally thus, as in March 1, 
182-1 : " Voted that the selectmen be appointed a committee 
to dispose of the privilege of taking shad and alewives within 
the limits of said town the ensuing season." In 1855, 
Joseph L. Wheeler bought the " upper reach," from Marble 
Brook to the Pond, for $27.50 per annum ; and James 
Rogers bought the " lower reach," from Marble Brook to the 
eastern border of the town, for $122.50 per annum. The 
annual sales have lately been less than $200. 

The shad and alewives were abundant till 1815 or 1820, 
when they began gradually to withhold their visits. A 
writer says, that, about the year 1800, it was common to 
take fifteen hundred shad annually at " Little River " (near 
Fresh Pond); but that, in 1852, there was not one taken; 
and that, proportionally, a similar statement might be made 
concerning alewives. 

Nothing can frighten alewives ; but the shad is an exceed- 
ingly shy and timid fish. Its disappearance from our river 

49 



386 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

is therefore attributed to the terrific noises made by railroad 
cars, as they cross the Mystic at Charlestown. The largest 
number of alewives taken by one draught from Mystic River 
was in 1844 ; and they counted some few more than fifty- 
eight thousand ! We once saw taken, by one draught from 
this river, shad sufficient to fill six horse-carts. In Mystic 
Biver the bass have wholly disappeared ; though there are 
those living who remember to have seen them plenty, and 
some of them weighing more than thirty pounds. 

In 1776, a negro, named Prince, was at work on the bank 
of the river, opposite the shallow where the ford was, a few 
rods above the bridge, when he saw an enormous bass swim- 
ming very slowly up the river. The tide was inconveniently 
low for the bass, but conveniently low for the negro. Plunge 
went Prince for the fish, and caught him ! No sooner was 
he out of water than a desperate spring, such as fishes can 
give, released him from his captor ; and back he falls into his 
native element. Quick as a steel-trap, Prince springs upon 
him again, and again clutches him and lifts him up. The 
fish struggles ; and Prince and fish fall together. Again 
Prince rises, with his prize in his arms, and then brings him 
ashore. It weighed sixty-five pounds. Prince thought that 
such a wonderful fish should be presented to the commander 
of the American forces then stationed on Winter Hill. His 
master thought so too. Accordingly, Prince dressed himself 
in his best clothes, and, taking the fish in a cart, presented 
it to the commander, and told the history of its capture ; 
and the commander gave him six cents ! 

The shad, of late years, have not been abundant ; only 
forty or fifty taken during a season. The number of alewives 
has also greatly diminished ; and the town receives about one 
hundred and fifty dollars by selling its right of fishing through 
the year. Smelts continue to make their annual spring visit 
in undiminished numbers ; and when, for noblest ends, they 
stealthily enter our creeks and little streams, they are watched 
by the hungry boys, who, for sport or profit, drive them into 
their scoop-nets by dozens. In this town, they do not let 
enough escape to keep the race alive ; and if, in all other 
towns, they were so destroyed, this beautiful and delicious 
fish would become extinct among us. The greatest draught 
— by a certain nameless boy, fifty years ago — numbered 
sixty-three. They were taken from Marble, or Meeting- 
house, Brook. 



FISHERIES. 387 

In Mystic Pond, there are few fish at present. The fresh- 
water perch, which appear in the sun like a fragment of a 
rainbow shooting through the water, are the most numerous. 
The bream are not uncommon ; but their size is very small. 
The tomcod come to winter there, and are easily taken thus : 
Some ten or twelve of them gather about a small stone, very 
near the shore, and each makes its nose to touch the stone. 
The fisherman sees this unfrightened family circle quietly 
reposing ; and he suddenly and strongly strikes the ice with 
an axe, directly over the unsuspecting group. The blow stuns 
the fish ; and he quickly cuts a hole, and takes them all out ! 
Of minnows there are scarcely any, owing to the presence of 
that fresh-water shark, the pickerel. Eels are taken in win- 
ter by means of forked irons, thrust into the mud through 
holes in the ice ; and smelts are taken at the same time, in 
the river near Charlestown, by means of the common hook. 

Oyster-fishing is another branch of trade carried on from 
Mystic River. In the early settlement of our town, oysters 
were extensively used as food, and they were easily taken. 
They so far abounded in that part of the river which is now 
between our turnpike river-wall and Maiden Bridge that 
they obstructed navigation. Mr. Wood, speaking, in 1633, 
of these hinderances, has these words : " Ships, without either 
ballast or lading, may float down this (Mystic) river; other- 
wise, the oyster-bank would hinder them, which crosseth the 
channel." This oyster-bank is one of those unfortunate 
institutions whose fate it has been to be often "run upon," 
and on which the " draughts " have been so much greater than 
the " deposits " that it long ago became bankrupt ; yet, like 
an honest tradesman, it has never despaired ; and, within our 
memory, has made some good fat dividends. In 1770, the 
sludge from the distilleries was supposed to have poisoned 
these shell-fish. 

Lobsters have not frequented our river in great numbers ; 
but, in 1854, they came up in large companies as far as 
Chelsea Bridge ; and, in the warm month of October, more than 
two thousand, of prime quality, were taken from that bridge ! 

The names of all the fishermen in Medforcl cannot be 
recovered ; but, among them, there have been men of that 
great energy which secures success. 

The fish found their market chiefly in Boston ; and were 
sometimes cured, and sent in barrels to the Southern States, 
as food for slaves, or to the West Indies for common con- 



388 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

sumption. Many were smoked, after the manner of herring, 
and eaten in New England ; many more were used as bait 
for cod-fishing on the Banks. Alewives, in early times, 
were sometimes used as manure; and shad were salted in 
tubs, and eaten in the winter. 

The income from these fisheries may not have been very 
large, unless we count the support which fish furnished as 
food ; and, in such case, we apprehend the income was 
great indeed. They gave a needed and most welcome variety 
in that brief list of eatables with which our fathers were wont 
to be contented. 

In 1829, by the enterprise of Mr. John Bishop, the busi- 
ness of mackerel-fishing was attempted. Some of the finest 
schooners from the fleets of Hingham were purchased, and 
fitted out in amplest order. Three schooners were built in 
Medford for this service. But, before two years had elapsed, 
it was found impossible to compete with Plymouth, Hing- 
ham, Gloucester, and Boston. In these places, barrels and 
salt were cheaper than at Medford, and the common market 
more accessible, especially in winter. 



MEDFORD CRACKERS. 

He who introduces a better kind of bread than was ever 
known before is entitled to honor for his ingenuity, and to 
gratitude for his beneficence. The individual richly deserv- 
ing both these is Con vers Francis, Esq., the first manufac- 
turer of the Medford crackers. Mr. Francis served his 
apprenticeship to the baking business with Captain Ebenezer 
Hall, in Medford. After acting as his foreman for some 
years, he set up for himself in West Cambridge (then called 
Menotomy), where he remained two years, when Captain 
Hall came to him, and proposed to him to return to Medford, 
and take his bakehouse and business, and carry it on for him- 
self. This he agreed to do. Thus Mr. Francis, in 1797, 
found himself in Medford, doing a good business in the place 
of his master. In that business he continued till 1818, with- 
out intermission, and accumulated a comfortable property. 
He early gave the energies of an active mind to the invention 
of a new kind of cracker. He well knew that the quality of 
the flour demanded his first scrutiny ,- and so skilful had he 
become in the examination of that article, that he cared 



MEDFORD CRACKERS. 389 

nothing about its marks or popularity. He would tell the 
true price in a few moments, and was never known to select 
a bad barrel. In the manufacture of his bread, every com- 
ponent part was personally examined, and every rule most 
scrupulously complied with. There was a severe exactness 
in each particular, that helped greatly in securing the final 
success. Mr. Francis produced a cracker which was consi- 
dered as more tasteful and healthy than any heretofore 
invented. Every year increased his reputation, and widened 
his business ; and, as early as 1805, Medford crackers were 
known through the country, and frequently sent to foreign 
lands. The writer of this was walking in a street of London 
in 1834, and saw, at a shop-window, the following sign : 
" Medford crackers." This bread deserved all the fame it 
acquired ; for never had there been any so good, and we 
think there is now none better. It required great labor ; and 
all the work was done by hand. Each cracker was nearly 
double the size of those now made ; and the dough was 
kneaded, rolled, weighed, pricked, marked, and tossed into 
the oven, by hand. Now all these are done by machinery. 
The labor of making a barrel of flour into crackers cost then 
nine dollars, and now about three dollars. This bread was 
called crackers, because one of them would crack into two 
equal parts. One piece of dough was rolled out just thick 
enough to enable it to swell up with the internal steam gene- 
rated by baking on the hot brick-floor of the oven ; and holes 
enough were pricked into the dough to allow a part of the 
steam to escape, and so leave the mass split into two equal 
parts, adhering mostly by the edges. 

The deleterious mixtures called bread, which we now often 
use, are the cause, we apprehend, of some of our chronic 
diseases. If the General Court would legislate properly on 
the great and vital subject of bread, a good inconceivably 
great and durable would result to society. If some bakers, 
without designing it, are administering mineral or vegetable 
poisons by their bread, cake, and pastry, what pleasing reflec- 
tions must now belong to Mr. Francis, in his old age, as he 
counts up the years in which he fed thousands daily with 
bread wholly nutritive, and always palatable ! 



390 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



DISTILLATION. 



This was a branch of trade held in high repute by our 
ancestors, and some of the most intelligent and pious of our 
Medford citizens engaged in it ; but none grew rich from it. 
It was not uncommon, in the first century of our settlement, 
for private families to have a " still," by which they supplied 
themselves with alcoholic liquors ; and not to offer a visitor 
" something to drink " was a flagrant breach of hospitality. 
It may have been during one of Rev. Dr. Byles's many visits 
in Medford that the following dialogue occurred. The lady 
at whose house he was calling asked him to step into her 
kitchen, and see her new still; and, having assured him of 
its extraordinary powers, the doctor replied, " Well, madam, 
if it be so remarkable, I wish you would do a job for me with 
it." "With all my heart, sir : what shall I do for you?" 
" Why, still my wife's tongue." 

When the first distillery was built in Medford, cannot be 
ascertained with precision ; but the evidence is mostly in favor 
of Andrew Hall (1735). The spot he selected is that which 
Mr. Lawrence now occupies ; and the building was of wood. 
This spot was chosen chiefly for the reason that a most 
copious spring of peculiarly good water issues from the earth 
at that place. The great reputation obtained by the Medford 
rum is owing to the singular properties of this spring. 
Other distillers, therefore, in different parts of New England, 
put the name of Medford on their barrels. He died just as 
his eldest son, Benjamin, had reached his majority. This 
son stepped into his father's place, and carried on the busi- 
ness. 

There is a tradition that a man named Blanchard, who had 
connections in Maiden, was the first who set up a distillery 
in Medford. It was upon the south side of the river, on the 
first lot east of the bridge. It was afterwards used by Heze- 
kiah Blanchard, the inn-holder, who distilled anise-seed, 
snake-root, clove-water, &c. These drinks were afterwards 
produced in large quantities in Medford. In 1777, Medford 
rum sold at 3s. lOof. a gallon, by the barrel ; 4s. 6d. by the 
single gallon. 

After the Maiden distiller had invested his little all in 
molasses, and occupied every vat, and was beginning to 
prosper, there rose a tide so high as to overflow all his vats 



DISTILLATION. 391 

i 

with salt water. This catastrophe ruined him as entirely as 
it did his rum. "With much of the Anglo-Saxon courage, he 
kept his spirits up, and looked to his Maiden friends 
to aid him. They consented to do so ; and Captain John 
Dexter, Captain Harnden, and Mr. John Bucknam, joined him 
in building the second distillery, which, in our day, is con- 
verted partly into a store, and partly into a shelter for the 
locomotive of the Medford Branch Railroad. After this 
time, Mr. John Bishop built a distillery on the opposite side 
of the road, in Ship Street, nearer to the river ; and Mr. 
Benjamin Hall, in 1797, took down the one which his father 
had built of wood, and replaced it with the one of brick 
which is now used. This enlargement of the business, 
together with the high reputation justly acquired by the 
manufacturers in Medford, gave employment to many men 
in many ways. 

The business has been carried on by Messrs. Andrew Hall, 
Benjamin Hall, John Bishop, Nathaniel Hall, Fitch Tufts, 
Joseph Swan, Hall and Manning, and Joseph Hall. It is now 
prosecuted only by Mr. Daniel Lawrence. It was never a 
profitable branch of trade ; and, till 1830, it ruined many 
persons who entered it. Since the " temperance reforma- 
tion," it has yielded great profits to the few who pursue it. 

The business demanded a larger investment of capital than 
any other manufacturing interest within the town. Agents 
were employed to purchase molasses in the West Indies ; 
and schooners of the largest tonnage were often seen unlading 
at wharves on the borders of which the distilleries stood. 

Soon after 1830, all the distilleries but one were discon- 
tinued, and three of the buildings were demolished. In 
1849, the efforts of temperance societies had so far influenced 
public opinion and the general habits as to diminish the use 
of rum to an extent almost fatal to the manufacturers of it. 
But about that time commenced an active demand for alcohol, 
as a component part of the " burning fluid " now so generally 
used ; and this demand rather increases. The present war 
in Europe has greatly augmented the consumption of rum ; 
and so brisk is the demand, that now, for the first time within 
thirty years, new distilleries are being established, not only 
in the United States, but in Cuba and other West India 
islands. 



392 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



LIGHTERING. 

This name was applied to a freighting business, carried on 
extensively through Mystic River, between Medford and 
Boston. The craft generally used were sloops ranging from 
fifty to one hundred tons' burden. They were introduced 
for the transportation of bricks, and afforded the only mode 
of transfer before Charlestown Bridge was built. Mystic 
River, to our fathers, was bridge, turnpike, and railroad. 
When adventurers settle in a forest, it is the first wisdom to 
fix themselves near a river ; because a river is an easy high- 
way, always kept in good repair, and free from all taxation. 
The business of lightering employed many men ; and the in- 
habitants at first used these sloops as passenger-packets to 
Boston and Salem. So important had become this mode of 
conveyance for bricks, merchandise, and people, that, when a 
petition was started for permission to build Charlestown 
Bridge, Medford opposed it with unanimity and zeal, " be- 
cause it would destroy the lightering business." The result 
was much as our citizens had foretold : bricks soon began to 
be carried by oxen in carts ; thus saving both the loading and 
unloading in the sloop, where many were necessarily broken. 

The labor of lightering was very hard ; for, at times, it 
became necessary for men to walk on the banks, and thus tow 
the sloop by means of long ropes. This toil was often under- 
taken in the night, and during stormy weather. Wood and 
bark were freighted from Maine, and rock weed from Boston 
Harbor. A business that was suspended during two or three 
months of each year, on account of ice, was not attractive 
to those who wished steady employment, and was not likely 
therefore to secure the best laborers. 



MILLS. 

The building of a mill required more iron and stone work 
than our fathers in Medford were at first prepared to carry 
through : they therefore adopted the Indian's mill ; which 
was a rock hollowed out in the shape of a half-globe, and a 
stone pestle. The mortar held half a bushel, and the pestle 
weighed forty or fifty pounds. A small, flexible tree was 
bent down, and the pestle so tied to its top as to keep it sus- 



MILLS. 393 

pended immediately over the mortar. When the pestle was 
set in motion, the elastic spring of the tree would continue 
its blows on the grain for a minute or more. 

They found a mill driven by wind cheaper than one driven 
by water : nevertheless, the water-power here was sufficient, 
and so convenient that it soon became serviceable. April 20, 
1659 : Thomas Broughton sold to Edward Collins, for six 
hundred and fifty pounds, " his two water-mills, which he 
built in Mistick River." They were then occupied by 
Thomas Eames. 

There was a mill a short distance below the Wear Bridge ; 
but who built it, and how long it stood, we have not been 
able to discover. The place is yet occupied. In 1660, Ed- 
ward Collins conveyed a " gristmill on the Menotomy side " 
to Thomas Danforth, Thomas Brooks, and Timothy Wheeler. 
This mill was previously occupied by Richard Cooke. 

There was a mill at- the place now called the "Bower," 
about one mile north of the meeting-house of the first parish, 
carried by the water of Marble Brook. The banks, race, canal, 
and cellar are yet traceable. This was used for grinding grain 
and sawing timber. It was on land now owned bv Mr. 
Dudley Hall. 

The remains of another water-mill are still visible on land 
now owned by Mr. W. A. Russell, near the north-west border 
of the town. It was carried by the water of Whitmore Brook. 
This mill must have been among the earliest in Medford. 

The first action of the town respecting mills was May 30, 
1698, and the record reads thus : " Put to vote, whether the 
inhabitants of Medford will petition the General Court for li- 
berty to build a gristmill on the river, near and above Mistick 
Bridge. Voted in the affirmative." This was not successful ; 
nor was the following, — Nov. 26, 1700: "Whether the 
town will petition the General Court for liberty to build a 
corn-mill in their town, at Gravelly Bank, near Mistick 
Bridge. This was voted in the affirmative." 

When the circular stone windmill, now standing on Quarry- 
Hill, in Somerville, was built, the inhabitants of Medford 
carried their grain there. Before the Revolution, the mill was 
converted into a powder-house, and has been used as such to 
our day. 

1730 : Mr. John Albree built a mill upon his own land, 
on a branch of Marble Brook. It stood about six rods west 
of Purchase Street, on land now owned by Mr. P. C. Hall, 

50 



394 HISTORY OF MEPFORP. 

where it joins the land of Mr. B. L. Swan. The supply of 
■water was small, as the present banks indicate. There he, 
and his only son Joseph, Move cloth by water, prepared 
wool for spinning, and had lathes for tinning wood. His 
house, of two stories, which he built, stood about six rods 
north-east from his mill. The mill stood more than forty 
rears, and was once used for the manufacture of pomatum 
and starch. 

1746: This year the tidemill, near Sandy Bank, was 
built ; and it was the first of the kind in that part of the town. 
As it is now standing, ir may be worth while to state a few 
facts touching its origin. Articles of agreement were con- 
cluded, Feb. 20. 1746, between Richard Sprague, cooper, 
Samuel Page, yeoman, Simon Tufts, Esq., physician, John 
Willis, yeoman, Stephen Hall, trader, Stephen Bradshaw, 
veoman, Simon .Bradshaw, leather-dresser, and Benjamin 
Parker, blacksmith, on the one part, all of Medford, and 
owners of land ; and, on the other part, Stephen Hall, 
Samuel Page, and Stephen Willis, of Medford, husbandmen, 
and Benjamin Parker, of Charlestown, housewright, as under- 
takers. They, of the first part, give the portions of land 
thev own lvin^ between the market and Cross Street, on con- 
dition that they, of the second part, will open a straight road, 
two rods wide, from the market to Cross Street, and build a 
stone bridge over Gravelly Creek. This was introductory 
to building the tidemill. Benjamin Parker gave the land on 
which the mill was built, — thirty-one feet long, and twenty- 
five wide. John "Willis and Benjamin Parker gave liberty 
to the undertakers to cut a ditch from Gravelly Creek to the 
mill, and to build a dam. Dr. Tufts, John Willis. Samuel 
Page, Thomas Oakes, and Xathaniel Hall, bind themselves 
never to obstruct the free flow of water to the mill. The 
undertakers then bind themselves " to erect a good gristmill on 
the spot of land above mentioned ; and said mill shall be ready 
to go at or before the last day of September next." As gua- 
ranty for each party, they '•' brad themselves in the penal sum 
of five hundred pounds." 

The mill was completed, and answered its purpose. It 
afterwards came into the possession of Timothv Waite, jun. 
He sold it to Seth Blodget, March 9, 1761. "Mr. Blodget 
sold it to Matthew Bridge, Oct. IS, 1780. Mr. Bridge sold 
one half of it to John Bishop, April 7 . 17 s -3 : and sold the other 
half to John Bishop, jun., April 29. 1784. John Bishop sold 



MIDDLESEX CANAL. 395 

the whole to Gershom Cutter, who sold to Samuel Cutter, 
who sold to George T. Goodwin, its present owner. 

This mill has had various fortunes, and, by turns, has done 
all sorts of work. Whether it has been most successful in 
grinding grain or mustard-seeds or paints, or in sawing ma- 
hogany and turning wood, we know not. 

May 10, 1766: It was again suggested "to build a grist- 
mill near the great bridge." But it was not done. 

May 12, 1791 : The town voted "not to allow any one to 
build a mill near the great bridge." 

The mills of Baconville are mentioned under the head 
of manufactures. They had at first a checkered fortune, 
as devoted to clothing and fulling, as saw and grist mills, as 
screw-factory, foundery, door and sash, leather, and snuff fac- 
tories. To their present owners they would have been very 
profitable, if frequent fires had not consumed them. 

Mills carried bv steam-engines are now becominar com- 
mon ; and families are supplied with meal by the regular 
traders. 

MIDDLESEX CANAL. 

This" was the first canal in Xew England, if not the first 
in the Xew World, which was opened under a charter derived 
from a legislature, with tolls regulated by law. The enter- 
prising citizens of Medford were among the first movers of 
the project, and the steadiest helpers of the work. It con- 
tributed so much to the wealth of our town, by inducing 
ship-builders to settle and work among us, that a notice of it 
belongs to our records. 

I find the following statistics in an " Historical Sketch of 
the Middlesex Canal," gathered by their faithful agent, Caleb 
Eddy, Esq., and dated 1843 : — 

" In the month of May, 1793, a number of gentlemen associated 
' for opening a canal from the waters of the Merrimac, by Concord 
River, or in some other way, through the waters of Mystic River, to 
the town of Boston.' There were present at this meeting the 
Hon. James Sullivan, Benjamin Hall, Willis Hall, Ebenezer Hall, 
Jonathan Porter, Loammi Baldwin, Ebenezer Hall, jun., Andrew 
Hall, and Samuel Swan, Esq. 

" After organizing, by the choice of Benjamin Hall as chairman, 
and Samuel Swan as clerk, ' the Hon. James Sullivan, Loammi 
Baldwin, and Captain Ebenezer Hall, were chosen a committee to 
attend the General Court, in order to obtain an act of incorpora- 



396 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

tion, w^th suitable powers relating to the premises.' In conformity 
with this vote, a petition was presented to the General Court, and 
a charter obtained ('incorporating James Sullivan, Esq., and others, 
by the name of the Proprietors of the Middlesex Canal'), bearing 
date June 22, 1793 ; and on the same day was signed by his excel- 
lency John Hancock, Governor of the Commonwealth. 

" By this charter, the proprietors were authorized to lay assess- 
ments, from time to time, as might be required for the construction 
of said canal. At the first meeting of the proprietors, after the 
choice of James Sullivan as moderator, and Samuel Swan as clerk, 
the following votes were passed ; viz., ' That the Hon. James Sulli- 
van, Hon. James Winthrop, and Christopher Gore, Esq., be a com- 
mittee to arrange the business of the meeting, which they reported 
in the following order : — 

" ' Voted that the business of the corporation be transacted by a 
committee, annually elected, consisting of thirteen directors, who 
shall choose their president and vice-president out of their own 
number. 

" ' Voted that the Hon. James Sullivan, Loammi Baldwin, Esq., 
the Hon. Thomas Russell, Hon. James Winthrop, Christopher 
Gore, Esq., Joseph Barrell, Esq., Andrew Cragie, Esq., Hon. John 
Brooks, Captain Ebenezer Hall, Jonathan Porter, Esq., Ebenezer 
Storer, Esq., Caleb Swan, and Samuel Jaques, be directors for 
pursuing the business of the canal for the present year.' 

"At a meeting of the directors, Oct. 11, the following vote was 
passed : — 

" ' Voted that the Hon. James Sullivan be president ; Loammi 
Baldwin, Esq., first vice-president ; and Hon. John Brooks, second 
vice-president.' 

"The board of directors being duly organized, the next duty 
was to commence ' the necessary surveys of the most eligible route 
between Medford River and Chelmsford, by the Concord River.' 
Here the committee were met by an almost insurmountable diffi- 
culty : the science of civil-engineering was almost unknown to any 
one in this part of the country. They were, however, determined 
to persevere ; and appointed Mr. Samuel Thompson, of Woburn, 
who began his work, and proceeded from Medford River, at a place 
near the location of the present lock, and followed up the river to 
Mystic Pond, through the pond and Symmes's River, to Horn Pond 
in Woburn, and through said pond to the head thereof. Meeting 
here bars they could neither let down nor remove, they went back 
to Richardson's Mill, on Symmes's River, and passed up the valley, 
through the east part of Woburn, to Wilmington, and found an easy 
and very regular ascent until they reached Concord River ; a dis- 
tance travelled, as the surveyor says, ' from Medford Bridge to the 
Billerica Bridge, about twenty three miles ; and the ascent he found 
to be, from Medford River to the Concord, sixty-eight and one-half 
feet.' The actual elevation, when afterwards surveyed by a prac- 



MIDDLESEX CANAL. 397 

tical engineer, was found to be one hundred and four feet. By the 
original survey from Billerica to Chelmsford, the surveyor says, 
' The water we estimate in the Merrimac at sixteen and one-half feet 
above that at Billerica Bridge, and the distance six miles ; ' when, in 
fact, tne water at Billerica Bridge is about twenty-five feet above the 
Merrimac at Chelmsford. This report shows one of the many diffi- 
culties the directors had to contend with for the want of requisite 
scientific knowledge. 

" On the first day of March, the directors passed a vote, appoint- 
ing Loammi Baldwin, Esq., to ' repair to Philadelphia, and en- 
deavor to obtain Mr. "Weston's (an English engineer) assistance 
in conducting the canal. If he cannot come, then that he endeavor 
to obtain some other person who shall be recommended by Mr. 
Weston; and that said agent be authorized to write to Europe for 
some suitable person for the undertaking, if none can be found else- 
where.' Col. Baldwin made a lengthy and able report on the twelfth 
day of May, 1794. Among other things, he says he has engaged 
Mr. Weston to make the survey of the route in the month of June, 
and closes his report as follows : ' I consider the prospects before 
us, in this undertaking, much more flattering in respect to the exe- 
cution of the work, in proportion to the extent, than any I have 
seen in the Southern States, the Washington Canal excepted.' 
About the 15th of July, Mr. Weston arrived ; and a committee, 
consisting of Loammi Baldwin and Samuel Jaques, was appointed 
' to attend him during his survey and observations relating to the 
canal.' The survey was completed, and a full report made by Mr. 
Weston, on the second day of August, 1794. Agents were imme- 
diately appointed to carry on the work, to commence at Billerica 
Mills, on Concord River, and first complete the level to the Merri- 
mac, at North Chelmsford. The season having so far advanced, 
but little could be done until the next spring, except purchasing ma- 
terials and making contracts for future operations. The work was 
prosecuted with great caution, from the commencement to the year 
1803, at which time it was so far completed as to be navigable from 
the Merrimac to Charles River ; but delays and great expense were 
incurred for many years, owing to imperfections in the banks and 
other parts of the work ; and about the whole income was expended 
in additions, alterations, and repairs ; and no dividend could be, or 
was, declared until Feb. 1, 1819 ! 

The charter allowed assessments to be laid, from time to time, 
until the works should be completed, and all the debts of the corpo- 
ration fully and justly paid. One hundred assessments were laid : 
the first on the first day of January, 1794; the last on the first day 
of September, 1817 ; amounting, with interest added to Feb. 1, 
1819 (the date of first dividend), to fourteen hundred and fifty-five 
dollars and tiventy-five cents on each share ; making the whole cost of 
the canal eleven hundred and sixty-four thousand two hundred dollars. 
There have been paid in dividends, from the year 18 19 to the present 



398 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

year (1843), five hundred and four dollars on each share (averaging 
$20.16 per annum) ; an interest on the cost of about one and thirty- 
nine one -hundredths of one per cent per annum. From the year 
1819 to the time the Lowell Railroad went into operation, the re- 
ceipts regularly increased, so that the dividends arose from ten to 
thirty dollars per share; and no doubt, in a few years, without com- 
petition, they would have given a handsome interest on the original 
cost. The year that road went into full operation, the receipts of 
the canal were reduced one-third; when the Nashua and Lowell 
Road went into operation, they were reduced another third. Those 
of the last year and the present will not be sufficient to cover the 
expenditures for repairs and current expenses. The future has 
but a gloomy prospect. For the past twenty years, and during the 
time I have had the management of the canal, I can truly say, the 
directors have spared no pains or expense in keeping it in perfect 
order for use ; and the public have derived great advantage from 
this water communication, in the transportation of timber (for ship- 
building) and other heavy lumber, as well as wood and merchan- 
dise generally. The inventions and ingenuity of man are ever 
onward ; and a new, cheap, and more expeditious mode of trans- 
portation by steam-power has been devised, which seems destined 
to destroy that which was once considered invulnerable. What is 
to be done? Improvements in mechanics and the arts will go on, 
while man has mind. If the eanal cannot put out the fire of the 
locomotive, it may be made to stop the ravages of that element in 
the city of Boston, should the proprietors, after mature considera- 
tion, deem it for their interest so to devote it. The canal was 
brought into existence by the aid and assistance of the Legislature ; 
and by their power it has received a hard blow. There is yet 
vitality ; and the same power that created and has nearly destroyed 
it can resuscitate and give to it a valuable existence for the future. 
I trust, upon a respectful and proper representation of the condi- 
tion of your interests as they exist at the present time, and the past 
great exertions of the proprietors to serve the public faithfully, 
together with the immense sacrifices that have been made, the Legis- 
lature will be disposed to view the case as one of equity, and ren- 
der every aid in their power to preserve and make it more valuable 
than heretofore. I know of but one way in which the canal can be 
of much value to the public, and those who now hold an interest 
therein ; viz., by changing a part of it from one public use to another. 
Discontinue the levels from the Charles River to Woburn upper 
locks, and from Billerica Mills to the Merrimac River; in the whole, 
a distance of over fourteen miles. The remaining part, from the 
Concord River to Woburn upper locks, may then be used as an 
aqueduct, similar to those in France and other European countries. 
From Woburn, the water may be conveyed in thirty-inch iron pipes, 
for the supply of the city of Boston, the towns of Charlestown, and 
East Cambridge." 



399 

MIDDLESEX CANAL. 



In another part of the "Sketch," the author thus touches 
on "xedLbject, -indemnity for damages arising from 
the construction of rival public accommodation : — 

"The construction of the Middlesex Canal was »^^^ 
ing to its proprietors. It was bnilt m good toMj"" %%£Z 
eondncted wi!h a strict regard ,0 pubhc; accomm ^J^? he 
Lowell Railroad charter was petitioned for, the P™P"™T , ; 
canal respectfully remonstrated against the gran thereof unless it 
XI contain aVi-«u for some reasonable mdemmty to them 

•LflSSM'i.W S-tS^a mi ht sos 
C iy Lome from it while the road is continued over Urn same 

pflnal the proprietors are deprived ot the means, in a 

provision in the act for a reasonable indemnity *J *• ^ load £ 
c* *„ v ThPrp were certainly as strong grounds lor it as tnere we 

^t^ZSTJe c" »";:; oTthe cost,-their whole 
rpiTturftrL^asonaUe act of the Legis.ature, being 
now rendered of nominal or little value. 

In 1851, it was thought best by the proprietors " to sur- 
render the charter, wind up the concern, sell he property, 
and divide the proceeds." In 1852, it was sold a auction, 
£ sections ! and they who owned laud upon its borders were, 
n mo t ca es, the purchasers. The process of filling rt up 



400 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

commenced so soon, and has been prosecuted so diligently, that 
all traces of this full artery have, in many sections, wholly 
disappeared ; but we truly hope that the solid stone bridge, 
built by the Hon. Peter C. Brooks, to span it, and which has 
been for a quarter of a century a most picturesque object in 
the distance, will be allowed to remain in memoriam, — a 
gravestone to mark where the highway of waters lies buried. 

Two " single locks " were found necessary in Medford, — 
one on the north bank of Mystic River, almost contiguous to 
the Lowell Railroad track, in West Medford ; and the other 
near the entrance of Medford Turnpike. This last was a 
" side lock," used for transferring ship-timber from the canal 
to the river. 

There were benefits and pleasures incidental to the cur- 
rent of these waters through Medford which after-genera- 
tions must lose. Dry and sandy soils, contiguous to the 
canal, became signally fertile by its irrigations and filterings ; 
hedges and shrubbery on its sides became doubly beautiful. 
It furnished soft water to hundreds of families; it tempted 
the laborer and the boys to enjoy the luxury of a bath ; it 
invited the young of both sexes to sit and angle for perch 
and bream ; and it presented to the skater the smoothest ice 
between its sheltering banks. 



RETAIL PRICES CURRENT IN MEDFORD. 

(The best of each article is taken ; and the average price 
for the last ten years.) 

Tea (green), per lb $0.60-0.70 

„ (black), „ 0.40-0.45 

Coffee (Java), „ 0.16 

Sugar (white), „ 0.09 

„ (brown), „ 0.08 

Molasses, per gal 0.37 

Butter, per lb 0.25 

Milk, per qt ' . 0.05 

Vinegar, per gal 0.14 

Salt, per bushel 0.50 

Eggs, per dozen 0.15 

Flour, per barrel 8.00 

Corn (northern), per bushel 0.85 

„ (southern), „ 0.80 

Rye (northern), „ 1.00 






CURRENCY. 



401 



Oats (northern), per bushel « . . . . $0.o0 

Rice, per lb • ' 

Potatoes, per bushel aqa 

Turnips, „ .... . . 0.75 

2 n T' " ',•'*':: : ...... 0.50 

xseeis, „ _ „„ 

Apples, per barrel • • " ; io _ o ; 20 

Beer, per lb 

Veal U 

Mutton, „ U.10 

Turkeys,, °-}£ 

Chickens, per lb (\\% 

Ducks „ " 

Soap (soft), per barrel *•"" 

n (bar), per lb ^ 

Iron, per cwt ' „ "' 

Stee 'l 10.00-12.00 

Sole-leather, per lb U.ZD 

English hay, per ton ^.UU 

Wood (oak), per cord »•"" 

» (P ine )' ' a'oo 

Charcoal, per basket "'^j: 

Anthracite coal, per ton 7,ou 



CHAPTER XL 



CURRENCY. 



To understand the currency used by our Medford ancestors, 
is to understand much of their habits and customs ; for the 
mediums of exchange and barter, whatever they be, exert a 
magical influence over the labors, wishes, and attachments of 
society. Whatever has been prescribed by legislative autho- 
rity, or adopted by general usage, as a medium of exchange, 
may be denominated currency. The substances adopted as a 
standard of value have been very various in different ages 
and countries. In ancient times, in Italy and Greece^ the 
standard was cattle, sometimes leather ; in Europe, a silver 
nail, iron bars, tin plates ; in India, shells ; in Africa, bricks 

51 



402 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

and beads ; in Mexico, maize and cocoa ; in the West Indies, 
sugar ; in Newfoundland, dried cod ; in Virginia, tobacco : 
and, among the Indians, wampum. 

In this last article, and in peltry, our ancestors traded much 
with the aboriginal inhabitants. "Wampum was a belt formed 
of shells, black and white. " The white," says Roger Wil- 
liams, " were made of the stock, or stem, of the periwinkle, 
when all the shell is broken off; and, of this sort, six of their 
small beads, which they make with holes to string their 
bracelets, are current with the English for a penny. The 
second is black, inclining to blue, which is made of the shell 
of a fish, which some English call hens-poquahock ; and, of 
this sort, three make an English penny. One fathom of this, 
their stringed money, is worth five shillings." 

To show how this shell-currency of the natives was pre- 
pared for ready exchange, we quote the law of Oct. 18, 
1648 : — 

" It is ordered, for trial till the next court, that all passable or pay- 
able peage henceforth shall be entire, without breaches, both the 
white and black, without deforming spots, suitably strung in eight 
known parcels, — one penny, threepence, twelvepence, five shil- 
lings, in white ; twopence, sixpence, two shillings and sixpence, 
and ten shillings, in black." 

Medford paid its share towards the support of Rev. Messrs. 
Patricke and Underhill ; and, Sept. 7, 163©, " it is ordered 
that Mr. Patricke and Mr. Underhill shall have allowed them, 
for half a year's provision, two hogsheads of meal, four 
bushels of malt, ten pounds of powder, and lead to make 
shot ; also house-room provided for them, and fifteen pounds 
twelve shillings in money to make other provision from the 
time they begin to keep house." These records show how 
the Pilgrims managed their currency : — 

" Sir Richard Saltonstall is fined four bushels of malt, for his 
absence from court," 

" Mr. Robert Saltonstall is fined five shillings, for presenting his 
petition on so small and bad a piece of paper." 

" Chickataubott is fined a skin of a beaver, for shooting a swine of 
Sir Richard Saltonstall." 

Silver was exceedingly scarce at the time Medford was 
settled ; hence the necessity of adopting some other standards 
of value. All accounts were kept in the pounds, shillings, 
pence, and farthings of the mother country. For more than 



CURRENCY. 403 

half a century, the law of Oct. 18, 1631, was in active opera- 
tion here. That law was as follows : — 

" It is ordered that corn shall pass for payment of all debts, at 
the usual rate it is sold for, except money or beaver be expressly 
named." 

Oct. 3, 1633 : " It is agreed that the best sort of laborers shall not 
take above eighteen-pence a day, if they diet themselves ; and not 
above eightpence a day, if they have diet found them. Further, 
it is ordered that all workmen shall work the whole day, allowing 
convenient time for food and rest." 

Nov. 8, 1G33 : " Ordered that no persons shall sell to any of the 
inhabitants within this jurisdiction any provision, clothing, tools, or 
other commodities, above the rate of fourpence in a shilling more 
than the same cost, or might be bought for ready money, in Eng- 
land." 

Sept. 3, 1634 : " No person that keeps an ordinary shall take 
above sixpence a meal for a person ; and not above one penny for 
an ale-quart of beer, out of meal-time." 

March 4, 1635: "Ordered that musket-bullets, of a full bore, 
shall pass currently for a farthing apiece, provided that no man be 
compelled to take above twelvepence at a time of them." 

The legal premium allowed for the loan of currency was 
eight per cent, and so continued for a short time after the 
second charter. These facts and laws l'eveal to us the every- 
day calculations, and many of the social habits, of our Medford 
ancestors ; and, in the absence of town-records, serve as 
authentic data from which we can write the history of their 
cares and labors, their sacrifices and prosperity. They found 
it difficult to pay the wages of their workmen and servants. 
Even such men as Governor Winthrop were hard pressed 
in this way. He illustrates the severities of the common lot 
in these words : — 

" I may report a passage between one Rowley and his servant. 
The master, being forced to sell a pair of his oxen to pay his ser- 
vant his wages, told his servant he could keep him no longer, not 
knowing how to pay him next year. The servant answered him, 
he could serve him for more of his cattle. But what shall I do 
(saith the master) when all my cattle are gone? The servant 
replied, ' You shall then serve me ; and so you may have your cattle 



again/ " 



It was natural enough that such extremities as these should 
awaken the public mind to some modes of permanent relief; 
and they did suggest the establishment of a mint at Boston. 
May 31, 1652 : The General Court ordered, that, "from and 



404 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

after the 1st of September next, and no longer, the money 
hereafter appointed and expressed shall be the current money 
of this Commonwealth, and no other, unless English (except 
the receivers consent thereunto)." Thus 1652 saw our 
fathers coining money without the consent of the Icing, to 
whom alone belonged the constitutional right of so doing. 

The building erected for the mint was sixteen feet square 
and ten feet high. Such an edifice surely could not deserve 
the sneer of that adage, " Twelve pence laid out on the purse, 
and only six in it." 

One effect of introducing a New-England coinage was to 
change the custom of computing in Old-England currency ; 
for, in the London market, the American coin sank at a rate 
of one-quarter below theirs. 

The device on the die was as follows : " A double ring on 
either side, with this inscription, Massachusetts, and a tree in 
the centre, on the one side ; and New England, and the year 
of our Lord, on the other side" This was called the "pine- 
tree currency ; " and it was in use for more than a hundred 
years. The pine-tree was a favorite emblem with our 
fathers. It expressed to them something un-English, and 
something durable. When independence was declared, 
Massachusetts (April 11, 1776) put it on her State flag, and 
fought the battle of Bunker Hill under its ancestral encou- 
ragements. It gave place only to the thirteen stripes. 

When Thomas Temple, Esq., went to London, in May, 
1662, and was introduced to the king, he presented his 
majesty with specimens of our coins. Seeing a tree on one 
of them, Charles inquired, " What sort of a tree is that ? " Mr. 
Temple immediately replied, " It is the royal oak, which 
preserved your majesty's life." The answer conciliated the 
unbotanical king, and induced him to grant Mr. Temple what 
he asked. 

The mint was suppressed by James II. ; and thereupon, 
in 1686, our Massachusetts patriots began to move in the 
establishment of a bank; and, on Sept. 18 of that year, 
President Dudley and council granted liberty to certain 
directors "to issue bills, on security of real and personal 
estate." These continued but three years. Dec. 10, 1690, 
the General Court established a provincial bank, and issued 
paper-money to the amount of seven thousand pounds, in bills 
from five shillings to five pounds. This paper-currency con- 
tinued in use till 1750. These paper-bills, soon after their 



CURRENCY. 405 

issue, fell in value at least one-third. The government tried 
to remedy this evil by allowing five per cent advance on the 
specie and par value of the bills in all public payments. 
This restored them to par for about twenty years. They 
were called " old charter bills." June 8, 1693, the General 
Court changed the rate of interest from eight per cent to 
six. 

So common had become the vicious habit of clipping gold 
and silver money, that the government issued a proclamation, 
March 3, 1705, " that no money shall pass by tale but what 
is of due weight." Almost every family had a pair of scales 
to weigh the gold and silver they took. 

The two crusades against Canada, about this time, forced 
the colonies to issue " bills of credit," to pay the soldiers. 
These lost credit, and somewhat depreciated ; and here was 
another embarrassment suffered by our fathers. December, 
1724, Judge Sewall says, " The diminution of the value of 
the bills of public credit is the cause of much oppression in the 
Province." Colden says (1728), "Our paper-currency has 
gradually lost its credit, so as at present sixteen shillings is but 
sufficient to purchase an ounce of silver." Governor Beleher 
says (1733), " Sixteen shillings in these bills will not pur- 
chase five shillings lawful money." 

Lawful money, as distinguished from old tenor, is first 
mentioned in the Medford records, May 17, 1750. The 
town voted, May 21, 1751, to give Mr. Turell, as salary for 
that year, £73. 6s. 8d. (lawful money), which was equal to 
£550 (old tenor). In 1754, voted to give him £80 (lawful 
money), which was equal to £600 (old tenor). 

In 1761, £10 were equal to £75 old tenor, £24 to £180, 
and £80 to £600. 

It is not easy, in our day of plenty and power, to estimate 
those perplexities and fears, of our fathers which came from 
an empty treasury, a defenceless country, and an embarrassed 
trade. To show how very slowly they must have gathered 
money, we give a table of prices of such productions as were 
taken for rates at the treasury. Good merchantable beef, 
£3 a barrel ; do. pork, £5. 10s. ; winter wheat, 8s. ; summer, 
7s. ; barley, 6s. ; rye, 6s. ; Indian corn, 4s. ; oats, 2s. 6d. a 
bushel. Flax, Is. 4d. ; hemp, 9d. ; beeswax, 2s. Qd. a pound. 
Peas, clear of bugs, 9s. a bushel. Sweet firkin butter, I2d. 
; a pound. Merchantable dry codfish, £1. 10s. a quintal. 
Mackerel, £1. 10s. ; oil, £2. 10s. a barrel. Whalebone, six 



406 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

feet long and upward, 3s. 6c?. ; bayberry-wax, Is. 4c?. a pound. 
Turpentine, full bound, 13s. ; merchantable bar -iron, 48s. ; 
cast-iron pots and kettles, 48s. a hundred. Well-cured to- 
bacco, 4c/. ; good tried tallow, 8c?. a pound. 

We can but faintly conceive the embarrassments which 
our ancestors here must have encountered from the fluctuat- 
ing prices of their products ; especially when, as in 1740, 
there were circulating in Massachusetts public bills of four 
provinces, at 29s. for an ounce of silver. New tenor of 
Massachusetts at 6s. 8c?., but current at 9s. 8c?. oz. of silver. 
Connecticut new tenor at 8s., and Rhode Island new tenor 
at 6s. 9c?. Our fathers, under these circumstances, must have 
been good mathematicians to have understood this occult 
chemistry of trade. 

July 30, 1781 : Medford voted "to raise £100 in specie, 
in lieu of the £400 raised on the 29th of June last." This 
would seem to imply that £100 specie was worth £400 of 
New-England money. Aug. 20, 1781: "Voted to raise 
£450 /tare? money, instead of the £1,300 paper money, voted 
in May last." 

It is not necessary to trace further the currency of the 
Province, or to show the effects of the issue of " continental 
money," or the " sword-in-hand " money, of 1775, or the influ- 
ence of the Stamp Act, and the subsequent oppressions of the 
crown upon the trade, comfort, or hopes of our fathers. The 
currency of the country, from its settlement to the present 
time, pertains as much to the town of Medford as to any other 
town. It makes part and parcel of its history. It influenced 
every family's labor, and shaped the town's laws. May 12, 
1791, the town voted to sell the "old continental money" 
then in the treasury for the most they could get for it. We 
have given these details, that our readers may see how the 
fathers and mothers, the brothers and sisters, of the olden 
time were obliged to think, calculate, and act, in their pecu- 
niary intercourse with their neighbors and public function- 
aries. Trading and shopping then were very different ope- 
rations from what they are now. The word pay was used to 
denote whatever was employed as currency or medium of 
exchange. Suppose a farmer went to buy a pair of oxen, how- 
would the colloquy proceed ? Somewhat thus : — Neighbor 
A. : "I want to buy your two-year-old steers : what do you 
ask for them ? " "I will sell ; but what's jour pay ? " An- 
swer: "Flax at Is. 4c?., butter at 12c?., winter wheat at 8s., 



CURRENCY. 407 

and the rest in paper at 17s. per ounce of silver." This is 
satisfactory; and so they trade. A dialogue between two 
merchants, in the purchase of a ship, would be something 
like this : — Mr. S. : " What will you take for your bark ' Co- 
lumbus ' ? " Mr. T. : " You know that depends on the pay." 
Mr. S. : " My pay is, double-johns at £4. 16s., moidores at 
o6s., pistoles at 22s., the rest in old-tenor bills at the rate 
of 45s. for 6s. of specie, and middle tenors at lis. 3d. for 6s." 
Mr. T. : " Well, that's all right ; and you may have her 
for £237, — pay down." So the bargain closes. When a 
boy went to buy a penknife, whose cash price was 12c/., the 
following conversation ensued : — Boy : " I want a good pen- 
knife, sir." Shopkeeper : # " Is your pay ready?" "Yes, 
sir." " What is it ? " " It's pay" " Well, then, the price 
is 24c?." The boy then asks, " What will it be in pay as 
money?" Answer: " 16c?." "What will it be in hard 
money ? " " 12c?." If a young lady went to purchase a dress, 
and, having looked and chosen, she asked the price, she was 
answered by the usual question, " What's your pay ? " She 
answers : " Pai% in pillar-pieces at 6s. each, part in e pieces-of- 
eight ' at 4s. 6c?., and the rest in cobb money at 6s. 8c?. ounce." 

These were every-day occurrences. What would the farm- 
mers and merchants, the boys and girls, of our day think, if 
they could not make a purchase without all this bewildering 
mixture of prices ? 

When dollars came into common use, all calculations were 
simplified. The sign ($) used to express dollars was com- 
posed of two letters, U. S., signifying United States. The 
S was first written ; and then over its face the U was drawn, 
thus $. Our present currency consists of paper-bills of 
$1,000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 3, 2, 1. Gold, $40, 20, 10, 
5, 3, 2|, 1. Silver, $1, 50c, 25, 10, 5, 3. Copper, one cent. 

We take leave of the currency of our ancestors which 
prevailed in Medford, and which has taught us so much 
about them, with a few lines, in which some unknown disciple 
of Thalia has uttered his financial joy (1750) : — 

" And now, Old Tenor, fare you well ; 
No more such tattered rags we'll tell. 
Now dollars pass, and are made free ; 
It is a year of jubilee. 
Let us, therefore, good husbands be ; 
And good old times we soon shall sec." 



408 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



TAXES. 

The first inhabitants of Medforcl, bringing with them the 
common usage of England with respect to poll and property 
taxation, adopted the rules which they had followed in their 
native country. The records of our Colonial General Courts, 
under Governor Endicott, before the arrival of Governor 
Winthrop, are lost, and therefore the rates of taxation from 
1628 to 1633 cannot be ascertained ; yet they may be pre- 
sumed from the subsequent rates which were soon after 
established with respect to church and state expenses. The 
first rule enacted by the Legislature was in 1646. This was 
twenty -pence a poll, and one penny on a pound, for the State. 
Sterling was the currency till 1652, when the " pine-tree " 
coin, called New England currency, was introduced. This 
new coin was six shillings and eightpence less than the 
English pound sterling, and was so made to keep it in the 
country. 

The earliest payments were made in money ; but after- 
wards the Province agreed to take beaver, grain, pease, cattle, 
fish, lumber, &c. This was called country pay, and also 
called specie : this last word retained its early meaning till 
within seventy or eighty years of our time. After the " Pro- 
vince bills of credit " were introduced, country pay for 
Province taxes ceased in 1694. 

As Charles I., by his charter of March 4, 1629, released 
the Pilgrims from " all taxes, subsidies, and customs, in New 
England," our fathers had no taxes but what were necessary 
in their own borders. 

To show how taxes were assessed at our earliest history, 
the following specimens may suffice. 

At the first Court of Assistants, under Winthrop, in 
Charlestown, Sept. 28, 1630, the following was passed : — 

" It is ordered that there shall be collected and levied by distress, 
out of the several plantations, for the maintenance of Mr. Patricke 
and Mr. Vnderhill, the sum of fifty pounds ; viz., out of Charlton, 
seven pounds ; Boston, eleven pounds ; Dorchester, seven pounds ; 
Rocksbury, five pounds ; Watertown, eleven pounds ; Meadford, 
three pounds ; Salem, three pounds ; Wessaguscus, two pounds ; 
Nantascett, one pound." 

This tax was paid for instructing the colonists in military 
tactics ; an art quite necessary for self-defence against unknown 



TAXES. 409 

Indian tribes. In Nov. SO, 1630, the same court levied a 
tax of sixty pounds, to pay the two public preachers, Rev. 
George Phillips and Rev. John Wilson ; and the places and 
sums were as follow : " Boston, twenty pounds ; Charlton, 
ten pounds ; Rocksbury, six pounds ; Meadford, three pounds ; 
Winnett-semett, one pound." 

Feb. 3, 1632, the same court levied a tax of sixty pounds, 
to make a palisade for the defence of Newton, that town 
having been chosen as the seat of government. To this 
tax, twelve towns contributed; and Meadford paid three 
pounds. 

In March 4, 1633, another levy was made to pay military 
teachers ; and here Meadford again paid three pounds. Thus 
our town seems to have taken its place with contiguous plan- 
tations in bearing its proportion of the public burdens. The 
levy, in each place, was made by the officers of said • planta- 
tion or town; and the following order, from the general 
government, attests to the ideas of right universally exist- 
ing:— 

" 1634, May 14 : It is further ordered, that, in all rates and pub- 
lic charges, the towns shall have respect to levy every man 
according to his estate, and with consideration of all other his abili- 
ties whatsoever, and not according to the number of his persons " 
["or the individuals of his family]. 

"1636, March 3 : For explanation of an order made at the Gene- 
ral Court, in May, 1634, it is ordered, that hereafter all men 
shall be rated, in all rates, for their whole ability, wheresoever it 
lies." 

In a general levy of £600, in 1634, Meadford paid £26 ; 
Charlestown, £45. In 1635, in a levy of £200, Meadford 
paid £10, and Charlestown £16. Keeping about these pro- 
portions, Medford paid its share as follows: In 1635, £19. 
15s. ; in 1636, £15 ; in 1637, £49. 12*. ; in 1638, £59. 5s. 
8d. ; in 1639, '40, and '41, no record of tax ; in 1642, £10 ; 
in 1643, £7. 

Winthrop tells us, that, — 

"Of a tax of £1,500, levied by the General Court in 1637, the 
proportion paid by Medford was £52. 10s.; by Boston, £233. 10s.; 
Ipswich, £180 ; Salem, £170. 10s. ; Dorchester, £140 ; Charles- 
town, £138; Roxbury, £115 ; Watertown, £110; Newton, £106; 
Lynn, £105." 

Mr. Savage says of this time (1637), "Property and num- 

52 



410 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

bers, in a very short period, appear to have been very un- 
equally distributed between Medford and Marblehead." 

The diversity in the several years was owing to accidental 
occurrences, such as supporting the expedition against the 
Pequods; also for service-money, to prevent the effort in 
England to withdraw the charter of Massachusetts, and to 
liquidate charges in London. 

The rates and prices were distinguished as follow : — 

" It is ordered, that, in payment, silver plate shall pass at five 
shillings the ounce ; good old Indian corn, growing here, being clean 
and merchantable, at five shillings the bushel ; summer wheat, at 
seven shillings the bushel ; rye, at six shillings and eightpence the 
bushel ; and, for horses, mares, cows, goats, and hogs, there is a 
committee appointed to value them under their worth, rather than 
above their worth." 

At this time ( 1644), Medford began to pay its tax to Har- 
vard College. Each family was required to send one peck 
of corn annually, for the support of poor students. 

Until 1646, the poll-tax of each man in Medford was one 
shilling and eightpence. On real estate, one penny on the 
pound. 

The above data show how heavily or lightly Medford was 
taxed during the first ten years of its history. The grants of 
land made, in 1634, by the General Court, to Rev. Mr. Wil- 
son, of Boston, Mathew Cradock, Esq., of London, and Mr. 
J. Nowell, were exempted from taxation ; and, as some of 
them laid within the limits of Medford, it made this town an 
exception. In the records of the General Court, April 4, 
1641, we find the following : — 

" It is ordered, that all farms that are within the bounds of any 
town shall be of the town in which they lye, except Meadford." 
"Meadford declared apecidiar town, Oct. 15, 1684." 

While it was right in the General Court to make gifts of 
land, tax-free, to such distinguished benefactors of the Pro- 
vince, it deprived Medford of so much annual income as said 
districts would have paid. No complaint was made on this 
account ; and our fathers struggled through nobly, notwith- 
standing their small means, and yet smaller numbers. The 
above record of taxes tells a tale of deep interest. We can see 
how a handful of first settlers, in a wilderness district, w r ho 
could only pay three pounds towards a provincial tax, must 
live from year to year. Fed by what they could raise from 



TAXES. 



411 



their own lands, and clothed by what they could weave in their 
own looms, their cares must have been uniform, pressing, 
and material. Bound together in a common lot and a com- 
mon danger, they must have been well acquainted with each 
other, and must have passed much time in friendly consulta- 
tion for the common good. With these elements before us, 
it will be easy for every one to imagine what our earliest set- 
tlers could not do, and what they could ; and thus see their 
habits, actions, and hopes. 

After these inferences from the taxes of Medford, during 
the first ten years of its history, we can proceed to gauge its 
growth in succeeding years by the same media. 

" At a Court of Elections at Boston the 14th of the 
third month, 1645, the levy upon the towns of the Province 
was £616. 15s. ; and Medford's amount was £7." 

There were three kinds of taxes, — province, county, and 
town. The first tax-bills of Massachusetts Colony, which 
were made out by counties, began October, 1659 ; and, in 
these, the tax of " Meadford " was far lower than that of any 
adjoining town. 

In 1657, "Meadford" was taxed as one of the towns of 
the county of Middlesex, in a county levy, £3. 6s. lid. ; in 
1658, £3. 3s. Id. ; in 1663, £4. 4s. 6d. ; in 1670, £4. 12s. ; 
in 1674, £4. 3s. lOd. ; in 1676, £4. Is. lOd. During these 
years, Cambridge was paying £40 ; "Woburn, £25 ; Maiden, 
£16 ; and Charlestown, £60. A county-tax of £1. 13s. 9d., 
levied on Meadford, Jan. 17, 1.684, was paid by the inhabi- 
tants as follows : — 

£ s. d. £ s. d. 

Capt. Jonathan Wade 6 4 
Capt. Nathaniel Wade 4 3 
John Hall .... 3 3 
Caleb Brooks . . . 1 11 
Thomas Willis ..037 
Stephen Willis . . 1 10 
Peter Tufts, jun. ..034 
Stephen Francis . . 1 10 
John Whitmore ..017 
Gershom Swan ..015 
Isaac Fox . . . • 11 

The excess raised in this tax, over the sum required, was 
to pay the collector. 

The valuation of live-stock, for rates in Medford, at this 
time, were the following : Oxen, four years and upwards, in 



John Bradshor 


. 





8 


Jonathan Tufts . 


. 





10 


Daniel Woodward 


. 





8 


Andrew Mitchell 


. 





8 


Roger Scott . . 


. 





7 


Edward Walker . 


. 





8 


Jacob Chamberlain 


. 





8 


Joseph Baker . . 
> 


. 





8 


£1 


15 


8 



412 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1677, £3 ; in 1687, £5. Horses, three years and upwards, 
in 1677, £3 ; in 1687, £5. Cows and bulls, four years old, 
in 1677, £2 ; in 1687, £3. Sheep, above one year old, in 
1677, 5s. each ; in 1687, 8s. Swine, above one year, in 
1677, 10s.; in 1687, XL 

The first session of the General Court, under the second 
charter, began June 8, 1692 ; and they voted that 10s. a poll, 
and one-quarter part of the annual income on all real and 
personal estate in the Province, be assessed. These taxes, 
assessed upon the Province by the House of Representatives 
from 1692 to 1702, averaged £11,000 per annum. Of this 
sum, Medford paid, in 1692, £32. 18s. ; in 1696, £42 ; in 
1698, £20 ; in 1702, £19. Is. ; while Maiden paid, in the 
same years, £121, £90, £45, and £48. Woburn paid 
£181, £144, £75, and £85. Cambridge paid £214, 
£189, £102, and £102. 

To show a town-tax at this period, and also the names 
most frequently occurring in the town's records, we here in- 
sert "a rate made by the selectmen, May 16, 1701, for defray- 
ing town-charges ; namely, for the deputy, and the laying in 
of ammunition ; and for fetching and carrying Mr. Wood- 
bridge, and the entertaining of him." 





£ 


g. 


d. 




£ 


s. 


d. 


Maj. Nathaniel Wade 


1 


6 


4 


Jacob Shepherd . . 





13 





John Whitmore . . 





6 


8 


Nathaniel Peirce 





2 


6 


Stephen Hall, jun. . 





7 


5 


James Tufts . . . 





4 


5 


Eliezer Wier . . . 





5 


8 


Timothy Prout . . 





1 


6 


John Bradstreet . . 





7 


6 


Mr. Thomas Swan . 





1 


8 


John Man .... 





1 





John Tufts .... 





2 


4 


Lieut. Peter Tufts . 


1 


5 


10 


Mr. Joseph Prout 








10 


Ens. Stephen Francis 





16 


8 


Francis Whitmore . 





4 





Serg. John Bradshaw 





11 


5 


Benjamin Marble 





2 


6 


Mr. Thomas Willis . 





17 


6 


James Wright . . 





2 


6 


Nathaniel Hall . . 





5 


4 


William Merroe . . 





2 


6 


John Francis . . . 





12 


6 


Thomas Miler . . 





2 


6 


John Hall, jun. . . 





8 


6 


Mathew Miler . . 





2 


5 


Jonathan Tufts . . 





19 


10 


William Walden . . 





2 


6 


Stephen Willis, jun. . 





6 


8 


Thomas Clark . . 





2 


6 


Stephen Hall, sen. . 





6 


6 


Peter Seccomb . . 





2 


6 


Serg. Stephen Willis 


1 


1 


4 


Eben. Brooks his man 





2 





Ebenezer Brooks 





17 


8 


Benjamin Peirce . . 





2 





Samuel Brooks . . 





10 


10 


Samuel Stone . . . 





2 





Mr. Richard Rookes 





7 





William Paten . . 





2 





Mrs. Elizabeth Wade 





18 


9 


Mr. Jonathan Dunster 





1 


8 


Parcill Hall . . . 





6 


6 


Mr. John Hall . . 


1 


1 


10 


George Blanchard . 





3 


6 

















TAXES. 413 

The warrant issued to the constable empowered that func- 
tionary "to distrain the goods or chattels of any person or 
persons who refuse to pay ; and in case there be no goods 
or chattels, then he is to seize the body of any person who 
refuses, and commit him to the county jail." 

To show what taxes were assessed for, it will be interest- 
ing to see a record of the entire debts of the town of Med- 
ford, April 19, 1710. It is as follows : — 

£ s. d. 

Due to Ensign John Bradstreet, for dining the ministers 

thirteen sabbaths, at Is. 6d. per sabbath 19 6 

Due to Captain Peter Tufts, John Francis, Ebenezer 
Brooks, and Samuel "Wade, 5s. per man, — paid to 
Mrs. Bradstreet, for nursing Rachel Blanchard ..100 
Due to Ebenezer Brooks, for actions entered in court .020 
For taking a copy out of the records, &c, about John 

Man 046 

For pocket expenses, in tending court three days ... 3 
Due to Thomas Willis, for sweeping meeting-house, 1709 15 
Due to Mr. Samuel Wade, for John Man's diet eleven 

weeks, at 3s. per week 113 

Also boarding John Man three weeks, at 4s. per week . 12 
Also for five weeks' sickness in the eleven weeks' board 

aforesaid 040 

Due to Thomas Hall, constable, for James Tufts's head- 
money 0100 

Due to Stephen Willis, sen., for pocket-money at Court 

of Sessions, three days 030 

Due to Ensign Stephen Francis, for boarding John Man 

ten weeks, at 4s. per week 200 

Due to John Francis, for money paid to the clerk about 

a presentment of Mistick Bridge 2 6 

For pocket expenses at court, three days, about John Man 3 
Money paid for searching the records about John Man 9 

£8 13 3 

To show the relative amount and distribution of property 
among the inhabitants, the following record of taxes paid by 
each is here inserted : — 

"Sept. 20, 1711 : This list is a county rate that was made and 
perfected by the assessors, in obedience to a warrant from James 
Taylor, gent., treasurer, for the levying a tax on polls and estate, 
both real and personal." 



t 



414 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Lieutenant Thomas Willis 
Ensign Stephen Francis 
John Francis, sen. 
John Whitmore . . 
Francis Whitmore 
John Whitmore, jun. . 
Mrs. Elizabeth Wade 
Miss Elizabeth Wade 
John Hall . . 
Mrs. Mercy Wade 
Seth Richardson 
Samuel Kendall 
Joseph Blancher 
Nathaniel Wilson 
Samuel Wade . 
John Tufts . . 
Stephen Willis, jun 
John Willis . . 
Thomas Dill . . 
Nathaniel Hall . 
Thomas Willis, jun 
Benjamin Peirce 
Nathaniel Peirce 
William Willis . 
Jonathan Hall . 
Stephen Hall 
Pacifall Hall . 
Samuel Polly . 
Jonathan Blanchard 
Richard Belsher 
Peter Seecomb . 
Ebenezer Nutting 
Isaac Farewell . 
Peter Waitt . . 
Samuel Polly, jun. 
Francis Lock . 
Aaron Blanchard 
Mr. James Tufts 
Mr. Thomas Tufts 
Mr. Samuel Brooks 
Mr. Jonathan Dunster 
Captain Josiah Convers 
Jabesh Brooks . 
Joseph Wright . 
John Francis, jun 
Richard Rookes 
Thomas Oakes . 



Ileads. 



£ s. 

10 

1 
10 
10 
10 
10 


10 

10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
. 
10 
14 

10 

1 
10 
10 
10 
10 

10 

1 

10 

1 



2 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 

10 
10 














4 



10 
10 



d. 



































































































7 
9 









3 

4 
2 
6 




Real estate. 
£ s. d. 

1 >6 

16 6 

1 4 
11 
12 

10 6 

1 13 10 

9 

1 1 5 
12 4 
6 9 
6 9 
5 
9 
19 

15 

1 7 
15 
11 1 
4 6 
6 
5 4 
6 
1 1 
8 
16 2 
15 
3 
3 
3 9 
15 9 
12 
3 




4 

6 

1 
6 

6 

1 

1 1 









6 

9 
3 
9 

1 



Personal estate. 

£ s. d. 

10 11 

10 2 

16 11 

7 7 

8 

8 

1 

12 4 
2 

















6 
3 

7 



4 

7 



4 
1 

7 

1 

6 9 

9 
8 
3 9 

6 

1 

2 7 
6 
5 

12 
6 9 
16 


8 
7 
■0 1 




4 
2 
10 11 






1 G 



3 

1 
1 



6 

8 



TAXES. 



415 





Heads 




Real estate. 


Personal estate. 




£ s. 


d. 


£ 


s. 


d. 


£ s. d. 













9 








Stephen Hall .... 











2 


3 







10 

















Jonathan Tufts .... 


1 1 





1 


14 


6 


1 12 3 


Ensign John Bradshoe . 


1 








19 


1 


13 10 


Thomas Hall .... 


10 








10 


6 


4 11 


Mr. Ebenezer Brooks 


1 





1 


5 


11 


17 4 


Stephen Willis, sen. . . 


10 





1 


1 





10 11 


Captain Peter Tufts . . 


10 





2 


16 





19 1 




10 


















To judge accurately of taxes paid by our ancestors after 
1710, it is needful to know the rate of depreciation in the 
" Province bills," which were taken in payment for taxes. 
In 1710, one ounce of silver was equal to 8s. of these bills; 
in 1722, 14s. ; in 1732, 19s. ; in 1742, 28s. ; and in 1752, 60s. 

In July 20, 1720, the General Court ordered, that taxes 
might be paid in live-stock and merchandise, instead of 
money ; and, from 1720 to 1750, live-stock in Medford 
was valued, on an average, as follows : Oxen, four years old, 
X2 each ; horses, three years old, X2 ; bulls and cows, three 
years old, XI 10s.; swine, above one year old, 8*. each; 
sheep and goats, 3s. each. 

In those towns which had vessels, a decked vessel was 
valued, for taxation, at XI. 10s. per ton; and undecked ves- 
sels [Medford lighters], at XI per ton. Stock in trade was 
valued at one-quarter of its worth ; male Indian and negro 
slaves, at X15 each ; female, at X10. 

To show a list of tax-payers in 1730, and their relative 
rates, the following town-tax for £50 — the half-yearly pay 
of Rev. Ebenezer Turell — is inserted : — 





Heads 


. 


Real estate. 


Personal estate. 




£ 


s. 


d. 


£ s. 


d. 


£ s. d. 


Captain Ebenezer Brooks 





9 





1 1 





9 9 


Mr. John Bradshaw . 





6 





12 


3 


3 9 


Deacon John Whitmore 





3 





7 





13 


John Kicherson, Esq. 





3 





8 


2 


1 10 


Captain Samuel Brooks 





3 





18 


8 


8 4 


Captain Samuel Wade 





6 





17 


6 


3 


Thomas Tufts, Esq. . 











18 


4 


4 7 


Mr. Peter Seccombe . 





9 





14 





9 4 


Mr. John Willis . . 





3 





16 


8 


6 7 


Lieutenant Stephen Hal 


1 


3 





14 





3 4 


Deacon Thomas Hall . 





3 





12 


2 


2 8 



416 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Deacon Thomas Willis 
Mr. Francis Whitmore 
Mr. John Whitmore 
Mr. William Patten 
Mr. Jonathan Hall 
Dr. Simon Tufts . 
Mr. William Willis 
Mr. Benjamin Willis 
Mr. John Albree . 
Mr. John Hall . . 
Mr. Andrew Hall . 
Mr. Thomas Oakes 
Joseph Tufts . . 
John Bradshaw, jun. 
Jonathan Bradshaw 
Nathaniel Hall . 
Nathaniel Francis 
Stephen Francis 
Samuel Polly . 
Benjamin Tufts 
Aaron Blanchard 
Benjamin Weber 
Jonathan Weber 
William Benfo'rd 
John Atwood 
John Tufts . . 
Joseph Francis . 
Stephen Greenleaf 
Richard Waite . 
Jacob Polly . . 
Samuel Turner . 
Oliver Atwood . 
Joseph Weber . 
Ebenezer Francis 
John Fossit . . 
Enoch Greenleaf 
John Stimson 
William Patten, jun. 
Ebenezer Brooks, jun 
Stephen Hall, jun. 
Robert Cresson . 
Daniel Paine 
Jonathan Hall, jun 
Thomas Phillebrown 
Samuel Bradshaw 
Stephen Bradshaw 
William Watsen 





[leads. 


Real estate. 


Personal estate. 


£ 


s. 


d. 


£ 


s. 


d. 


£ 


s. 


d. 





6 








11 


5 





1 


9 





3 








14 


4 





o 

o 


3 





6 








16 


8 





4 








3 








5 


10 





1 








3 








9 


4 





2 


11 





3 








12 


3 





3 


5 





3 








11 


4 





1 


7 





3 








14 


3 





5 


9 





3 








9 


11 





1 


10 





3 








7 


8 





4 


3 





3 








8 


2 





3 


11 





6 








18 


8 





2 








3 








15 


6 





7 


7 





6 








9 


4 





2 


1 





3 








10 


6 





2 








3 








9 


4 








11 





3 








9 


6 





1 


3 





3 








4 











4 





3 








4 


1 








4 





6 








5 


10 





1 


2 





3 








4 


1 





1 


4 





3 








4 


1 








4 





3 








4 


1 








4 





3 

















1 


2 





3 




















4 





G 








4 


1 














3 








1 


3 














6 








4 


4 





2 


8 





3 








9 


4 





1 








3 








2 


4 








9 





3 








3 


9 














3 








1 


9 








4 





3 


























3 


























3 








2 











5 





6 




















4 





3 


























3 








4 


1 














3 








9 


11 














3 








8' 


3 














3 


























3 


























3 




















5 





3 








4 


1 














3 








1 


7 














3 


























3 








3 


7 








5 











TAXES. 




417 




Heads. 


r Real estate. 


Personal estate. 




£ s. d. 


£ s. d. 


£ s. d. 


Jonathan Watsen . . . 


6 


4 9 


4 


Thomas Dill . . 






3 








Jonathan Polly 








3 


2 4 


4 


Jonathan Tufts 
Stephen Patten 








3 














3 








Eliot Patten 








3 








William Hall 








3 








Edward Hall 








3 








John Elder . . 








3 


2 4 


4 


William Pelam . 








3 


2 4 


0' 4 


William Waite . 








3 








Deacon Jacob Parker 






3 


2 4 





- Thomas Graves 






3 


3 6 


1 3 


Ebenezer Tufts 






6 








Thomas Brooks 






3 








John Fillebrown . 






3 








Richard Martin 






3 


4 1 


5 


Jonathan Tomson . 






3 


4 1 


4 


Edward Oakes . • 






3 


12 10 


3 1 


Caleb Brooks . . . 






3 


13 





Matthew Ellis . . . 









3 4 


5 8 


Abner Harris . . . 









3 6 


5 


Jonathan Tufts . . . 









3 9 





James Wright . . . 









11 





James Tufts .... 









3 10 





Joseph Wright . . . 









11 





William Symmes . . 









12 





Joseph Damon . . . 









5 





Jonathan Dunster . . 









4 8 





Henry Dunster . . . 









2 2 





David Dunster . . . 









4 8 





Jacob Wayman . . . 









10 





Samuel Francis . . 









4 





Samuel Page . . . 









10 





Widow Mary Tufts . 









12 





John Francis . . . 






6 


9 11 


2 10 


Benjamin Parker . . 






3 


10 6 


7 


Richard Sprague . . 






6 


5 1 


10 


Joseph Tomson . . . 






6 


4 1 


4 


Samuel Brooks, jun. . 






3 


4 8 


3 7 


Total, ninety-eight per 


sons. 


As a specimen of the town expenses 


i and tax for one year, 


let us take 1747. They are as follows 


(old tenor) : — 


Balance due the town from last account . 


.... £41 5 3 


Wliole town-tax for 1747 




* 


190 14 4 


f I 11 vl V IV »• 11 KHiJfc A\sA A. • -A • 




£i 




531 19 7 



53 



418 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



11 

8 



Committee. 



Treasurer paid, during the year 1747, by orders from 

said town £431 15 

Balance due from treasurer 100 3 

Errors excepted. Pr. 

Joseph Tufts, ) 
TnoMAs Brooks,} 

June 5, 1753, the General Court laid a tax on coaches, 
chariots, chaises, calashes, and riding-chairs. Medford, in 
1754, had 1 chariot, 7 chaises, and 31 chairs. Cambridge, 
during the same time, had 9 chaises and 36 chairs. Woburn 
had 2 chaises and 9 chairs. Maiden had 2 chaises and 20 
chairs. 

During the revolutionary struggle, debts were accumu- 
lated to vast amounts ; and, on the 26th February, 1781, the 
Legislature stated, that =£950,000, specie value, were needed 
to meet the annual current expenditures, ,£320,000 of which 
were to be discharged by taxes. At such a time, when par- 
simony would have been crime, as timidity would have been 
treason, our patriotic ancestors marched nobly forward, as 
their prompt payment of the following taxes testify. In 
1781, Medford paid £1,177. 10s. ; in 1786, £1,016. 5s. ; 
in 1791, £88. 6s. lid. Eatable polls in Medford (1784) 
were 223. 

List of occupiers of houses, in 1798, who are taxed for 
more than $100: — 



Samuel Albree. 

Asa Adams. 

Benjamin Hovey. 

Benjamin Teal. 

Caleb Brooks. 

John Bishop. 

Abigail Bishop. 

Samuel Swan. 

Ebenezer Thompson. 

Nathan Wait. 

Thomas Bradshaw, jun. 

Nathaniel Mead. 

Zachariah Shed. 

Leonard Bucknam. 

Spencer Bucknam. 

John Bacon. 

Abigail Brooks and Rufus Frost. 

John Brooks and Mary Patten. 

John Brooks. 

Jetbro Townsend. 

Caleb Brooks, jun. 



Thomas Brooks. 
S. Buel and Augustus Hunt. 
Thomas Bradshaw. 
Andrew Blanchard. 
Timothy Newell. 
Hezekiah Blanchard, jun. 
Ruth Benford. 
Jonathan Brooks. 
William Bradbury. 
Francis Burns. 
Marah Billings. 
Hezekiah Blanchard. 
David Bucknam. 
John Chadwick. 
John Cutter. 
Miles S. Wilson. 
Jonathan Dunham. 
Aaron Crowell. 
William Earl. 
Deborah Francis. 
Sarah Fulton. 



TAXES. 



419 






Henry Fowle. 

Benjamin Floyd. 

Benjamin Floyd, jun. 

Isaac Floyd. 

John Fowl. 

Gardner Greenleaf. 

Isaac Greenleaf. 

Edmund T. Gates. 

Ebenezer Hall. 

Nathl. Hall and Susan Patten. 

Willis Hall. 

Abigail Hadley. 

Samuel Hadley. 

Benjamin Hall. 

Benjamin Hall, jun. 

Ephraim Hall. 

Andrew Hall. 

John B. Fitch. 

And. Blanchard and A. Winship. 

Timothy Dexter. 

Caleb and Simon Blanchard. 

Jane Hall. 

Ebenezer Hall, jun. 

John Blanchard & James Floyd. 

Tab. Blanchard & J. Gleason. 

Ebenezer Hall, 4th. 

Samuel Coverly. 

Richard Hall. 

Parker and Watson. 

Joseph Pratt. 

J. Pratt and M. Tufts. 

Jos. P. Hall. 

Stephen Hall. 

Thomas Hadley. 

James Convers. 

Jonas Dixon. 

Duncan Ingraham. 

John C. Jones. 

Jokn Walker and Jos. Tysick. 

Joanna Kidder. 

Samuel Kidder. 

Abner Peirce. 

Thomas Learned. 

William Lowder. 

John Leathe. 

Jude Symonds. 

David Osgood. 

Josiah Polly. 



Jonathan Porter. 

Isaac Pratt. 

Thomas Hewes. 

Benjamin Reed. 

Peter Tufts. 

James Tufts. 

G. Williams & Dan. Farrington. 

William Bucknum. 

Sam. Hall and John Greenleaf. 

J. Bannister & Lucy Pritchard. 

Jeduthan Richardson. 

Joshua Symonds. 

John Symmes. 

Josiah Symmes. 

Ebenezer Symonds. 

Thomas Savel. 

Daniel Symonds. 

Samuel Thompson. 

Samuel Teal. 

Samuel Teal. 

Samuel Tufts, jun. 

Abigail Tarbutt. 

Benjamin Tufts. 

Gershom Tufts. 

Benjamin Tufts, jun. 

Jacob Tufts. 

Hutchinson Tufts. 

Peter Tufts. 

Isaac Tufts. 

Daniel Tufts. 

Jonathan Tufts. 

Ebenezer Tufts. 

James Tufts. 

Gershom Teal. 

Watts Turner. 

Hutchinson Tufts, jun. 

Eleazer Usher. 

Nathaniel Watts. 

Ebenezer Williams. 

Isaac Warren. 

Gardner Greenleaf. 

Joseph Wyman. 

James Wyman. 

John Wade. 

Convers Francis. 

John Mead and John Williams. 

Webster. 

Joseph Wyman. 






420 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Benj. Pratt and 



Brown. 



John Hall and Joseph Tufts. 
Francis Wait. 
James Kidder. 



Isaac Greenleaf and H. Popkins. 
John Wright. 
Jonathan Godden. 

The inhabitants occupied one hundred and thirty-six 
houses, which were valued at $74,032.80 ; making an average 
value of $544 each. The town valuation of all other proper- 
ty was $160,116.60. Taxes were assessed on 4,603 acres of 
land. 

We may close these tables of taxes by inserting the State 
valuation tables for seven decades, from 1790 to 1850 inclu- 
sive. Medford stands thus : In 1790, its State valuation was 
$9,441.68; in 1800, $15,036,08 ; in 1810, $26,311.19; in 
1820, $30,507.84; in 1830, $931,050; in 1840, $1,095,195.31; 
in 1850, real estate, $1,212,551.50; personal, $915,919. In 
these same years, Cambridge stands thus : In 1790, $25,291.- 
63 ; in 1800, $32,329.67 ; in 1810, $30,477.35 ; in 1820, 
$61,828.88; in 1830, $1,732,048; in 1840, $4,479,501.- 
43. Woburn, in 1790: $11,070.32; in 1800, $11,698.27; 
in 1810, $13,172.63 ; in 1820, $16,490.54 ; in 1830, $455,- 
030; in 1840, $687,388.09. Maiden, in 1790: $7,486.81; 
in 1800, $11,932; in 1810, $15,858.34; in 1820, $19,622; 
in 1830, $360,878; in 1840, $586,136.15. 

These tables of taxes prove how Medford, from small be- 
ginnings, gradually increased in numbers and wealth. There 
was never any sudden development of its resources, but a 
steadily increasing use of its natural advantages. Its march, 
became more and more rapid as we approach the nineteenth 
century, when its increase and prosperity were equal to any 
town in the State. 

As the records of the first forty years of the town are lost, 
we have hunted in every crevice and corner to find repre- 
sentative facts belonging to that period ; and, after availing of 
each fragmentary tradition, we have fixed on the taxes as- 
sessed by the General Court and county, as indicating with 
most precision the ability and condition of the earliest settlers ; 
and, having discovered their ability and condition, it is not 
difficult to imagine their labors, habits, and advancement. 
We have thus taken the taxes as our lighthouse, to guide us 
along the unmapped coast of our new settlement. 

In the record of taxes, one occasionally finds strange facts. 
Here is one : " June 27, 1695. As an unusual requisition, 
females who earned a livelihood were taxed each two shil- 



MAP. POST-OFFICE. 



421 



lings, being half what the males were assessed a head, in the 
tax of this date." . 

In our town-records we find the following notices side by 
side : " May 5, 1750 : Voted to abate Thomas Brooks, 
jun.'s rates (£4. 13s. ■id., old tenor), he being not of age." 
" Voted to abate Lieutenant Stephen Hall's rates for his head 
(£3. 5s., old tenor), he being very old." In our earliest his- 
tory, when the inhabitants had raised a certain sum in advance, 
two men, Nathan Lyon and Roger Scott, who had contri- 
buted their share, soon after moved out of town. At the 
next town-meeting, it was unanimously voted to refund to 
these men what they had paid. 



MAP. 

Oct. 13, 1853 : The town voted to authorize the select- 
men to treat with Mr. Henry F. Walling, of Boston, con- 
cerning a complete map of Medford. This skilful engineer 
engaged to furnish one for $750. It is now just finished ; 
and must give entire satisfaction, both as to its accuracy and 
beauty. Its size is thirty by thirty-seven inches, and its scale 
eight inches to a mile. It shows the entire town at one 
glance ; while it gives correctly the topography, the hills, 
woods, streams, ponds, streets, mills, stores, dwellings, 
churches, &c. ; it gives the names of each householder in the 
place of his residence ; it represents all the real estate of 
the town, and shows the number of square feet in each lot. 
This last fact will enable the assessors to apportion the tax 
more justly than they otherwise could, and will guide com- 
missioners in laying out roads. The map is accompanied by 
eleven other maps or sections, on a scale of two hundred feet 
to an inch, on sheets of twenty-six to thirty-nine inches, and 
are bound together in an atlas. Should a copy of this map 
be preserved through two hundred years, it would then pro- 
bably show that not even one lot of land would be possessed 
by any descendants of its present owner. 



POST-OFFICE. 



By examination of the books rescued from the fire of 
1836 at Washington, it appears that the first office esta- 



422 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

blished in Medford was in September, 1797. The first office 
was on the spot now occupied by the town-house. The post- 
masters have been as follows : — 

Samuel Buel, appointed .... Sept. 1797 

William Rogers, jun., July 21, 1813 

William Rogers, Oct. 20, 1818 

Luther Angier, May 17, 1828 

Samuel S. Green, jun., April 6, 1839 

Luther Angier, April 8, 1841 

Samuel S. Green, July 19, 1845 

Alexander Gregg, July 30, 1847 

James T. Floyd, jun., May 29, 1849 

James C. Winneck (the present incumbent), . . Aug. 23, 1853 

A post-office was established in West Medford in 1853, 
and its daily mail is an increasing benefit to a growing vil- 
lage. The first postmaster was James M. Sanford; the 
second, Thaddeus A. Baldwin ; and the third, the present 
one, is Franklin Patch. 



TAVERNS. 

For more than a hundred years, all the land travel to Bos- 
ton from Maine, from the eastern parts of New Hampshire, 
and the north-eastern parts of Massachusetts, passed through 
Medford ; and its distance from Boston made it a convenient 
stopping-place for travelling traders. Hence the need of 
public-houses. No town in the State, of its size, had so 
many in number, or better in quality ; and they were all 
placed conveniently on the great thoroughfare. 

In early times, no one could " keep tavern " without a 
special license from the court. The form was as follows : 
"Nathaniel Pierce, of Medford, is permitted to sell liquors 
unto such sober-minded neighbors as he shall think meet, 
so as he sell not less than the quantity of a gallon at a time 
to one person, and not in smaller quantities by retail to the 
occasioning of drunkenness." 

The first tavern of which we have any record was built 
by Major Jonathan Wade, about 1690, and kept by Nathaniel 
Pierce. It stood a few rods south of the bridge, on the cor- 
ner of Main and Short Streets, and, for more than a century, 
offered its accommodations to the public. It was bought by 
Colonel Royal, and had on its sign a representation of Admi- 



TAVEKNS. 



423 






ral Vernon. Its owner wished to let it ; and his advertise- 
ment, dated Dec. 26, 1743, reads thus : " Any persons before- 
handed, so as to lay in a good stock of liquors and other 
necessaries for a tavern, may meet with proper encourage- 
ment from Isaac Royal, Esq." Accompanying the above was 
this notice : " A person has a handsome mourning-coach, 
with a pair of good horses, to let out to any funeral, at ten 
shillings, old tenor, each funeral." -This house acquired 
great popularity, especially when kept by Roger Billings, in 
1775. It was afterwards kept by Mr. James Tufts and Son. 
It became a private dwelling about half a century ago, and 
so continued till its destruction by fire, Nov. 21, 1850. 

The " Fountain House," next in order of time, was built 
as early as 1725 ; and yet stands, a comfortable residence. 
Being well placed on the great thoroughfare between Salem 
and Boston, it had extensive patronage. It aimed to be a 
little superior to other houses. Its sign represented two men 
shaking hands, who were called -palaverers ; and hence the 
house first wore the name of Palaver Tavern. The two large 
trees in front had each a platform in its branches ; and these 
platforms were connected with each other and with the house 
by wooden bridges, and were used much in summer as places 
of resort for drinking punch and cordials. Tea-parties were 
sometimes gathered there. It was called Fountain House 
from having a new sign representing a fountain pouring 
punch into a large bowl. 

The third tavern built in Medford stood on the west side 
of Main Street, about eight rods south of the bridge, and 
was the largest in town. It was built by Mr. Benjamin 
Parker, town-treasurer, as early as 1745, and was sold by 
him to Hezekiah Blanchard, who added a large dancing-hall 
to it, and called it " Union Hall." He left it to his son 
Hezekiah, who continued it a tavern till his death. 

The fourth tavern was at the foot of Rock Hill, at the 
"West End, and sometimes called the Rock Hill Tavern, 
Among its keepers were Messrs. " Usher, Wesson, Frost, 
and Putnam." It was a favorite resort for teamsters, and 
gained great popularity. 

The new house, built by Mr. Jonathan Porter in the mar- 
ket-place, was opened as a tavern, but did not long continue 
as such. 

The " Medford House," standing on the north-east corner of 
Majn and Spring Streets, and now the only public-house in 



424 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

the town, was built by Mr. Andrew Blanchard in 1804, and 
attained great popularity under its first keeper, Mr. Jaquith. 
It was furnished with four bowling-alleys, which proved too 
great a temptation to some. At a later period, the house 
came into the possession of a company of gentlemen, who 
were resolved to have it kept on temperance principles. 
This plan proved more moral than profitable ; and it passed 
from the hands of the company to its present Italian owner. 

The taverns of olden time were the places of resort for 
gentlemen ; and one consequence was, good suppers and 
deep drinking. They also performed the office of newspa- 
pers. In 1760, Medford passed the following vote : — - 
" That their names, posted on the several tavern-doors, shall 
be a sufficient notice for jurors." Saturday afternoon was 
the time when men came from all quarters of the town to 
see and hear all they could at the tavern. For many years, 
the favorite arena was at Mr. Blanchard's, where politics 
and theology, trade, barter, and taxes, were all mixed up 
together over hot flip and strong toddy. 

The taverns served also as places for marketing. During 
most of the winter, they were filled every night with farmers 
from Vermont and New Hampshire, who had brought their 
pork, butter, grain, seeds, and poultry to market. Most 
families supplied themselves through these opportunities, and 
purchased the best articles at moderate prices. 

Landlords could not grow rich very fast on country custom. 
The travelling farmer brought all his food for himself in a 
box, and that for his horse in a bag. He therefore paid only 
twelve cents for his bed, and as much for horse-keeping. It 
was not uncommon to have six days' expenses amount only 
to two dollars ! 

Taverns seemed to subserve all purposes. Auctions, thea- 
tricals, legerdemain, caucuses, military drills, balls, and 
dancing-schools, all came in place at the tavern. Especially 
sleigh-riding parties found them convenient. Medford was 
just about far enough from Boston to tempt a party to a ride 
on a pleasant moonlight evening. Scarcely one such evening 
passed without witnessing a gathering of young people, who 
brought with them their " fiddler," or procured our " Gree- 
nough ; " and who danced from seven to ten, then took a 
hearty supper, and reached Boston at twelve. New forms 
of trade and amusement have almost wholly displaced these 
former customs. 



BURYING -GROUNDS. 425 

Medford was favored in good tavern-keepers. Journeying 
in former days, one found queer specimens of humanity 
among this unique class. Generally, they were only varia- 
tions of Yankee Doodle. Some landlords were so full of 
sunshine that it was June all the year round ; others had 
minds so frost-bitten that there was no hope for you, except 
in the January thaw. Here was one so anxious to oblige 
that he would spring to throw a lasso round the moon, if you 
wished it ; and there another so cross, that putting a question 
to him was like squeezing a lemon. 



BURYING-GROUNDS. 

The places used by the first settlers of Medford for the 
burial of the dead are not positively known. Whether from 
unwillingness to follow England's example, in providing 
expensive and well-secured graveyards, or from their inability 
to do so, we cannot say ; but the fact is clear, that such pro- 
visions for the dead were not made. The oldest gravestones 
in the present graveyard, near Gravelly Bridge, were brought 
from England, and are remarkable for their width, thickness, 
and weight. The oldest bears the date of 1691. It may be 
that some of our gardens are cemeteries, and that from 
human soil we gather our daily bread, while the spade and 
ploughshare lacerate the relics of our ancestors. 

March 20, 1705 : " Put to vote, whether the selectmen shall dis- 
course Mr. Dudley Wade, referring to the proposals made this 
meeting by Stephen Willis, jun., in said Wade's behalf, respecting 
the burying-place in Medford, and make return thereof to the town 
at the next town's meeting. Voted in the affirmative." 

It does not appear what this proposition was, nor what 
action the town had upon it. Probably it was a proposal to 
sell the town some land for a place of burial; and we pre- 
sume it was accepted, because, May 15, 1717, we find the 
following record : — 

" Put to vote, whether the town will choose a committee, to join 
with the selectmen, to view some land offered by Mr. Aaron Cleav- 
land and John Willis, for the enlargement of the burying-place near 
Mistick Bridge ; and bring in a report to the town of the same, at 
the next town-meeting, both of the price of said land, and the con- 
venience of the same for the use aforesaid." 

54 



426 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

This passed in the affirmative ; and the selectmen, Captain 
Tufts, Deacon Willis, Deacon Whitmore, Ensign Francis, 
Captain Brooks, and Ensign Hall, were appointed the com- 
mittee to plan the enlargement proposed. The committee 
reported June 10th of the next month, when the town passed 
the following vote * — 

" That the town will give Mr. Aaron Cleavland and John Willis, 
for a small parcel of land, for an addition to the burying-place, lying 
betwixt Mistick River and Gravelly Bridge, alter the rate of thirty- 
two pounds per acre." 

The portion they bought cost six pounds. 

May 12, 1718: " Put to vote, whether the burying-place, some 
time past bought of Mr. Aaron Cleavland, be continued in said 
Cleavland's hands, as to the herbage, until the town give further 
order ; and, when the town see cause to fence it, it shall be fenced 
at the town's proper cost ; and whether that, forthwith, a board 
fence be erected at the front of the land, with a gate and lock. 
Voted in the affirmative." 

This vote would lead us to infer that the enclosure was 
ill cared for ; and the need of new fences is learned from the 
vote of Nov. 26, 1733, which was as follows: "Voted to 
have the front of the burying-place fenced in." At the same 
meeting, they directed " that the fence should be made of 
good cedar posts, white-pine boards, with handsome double 
gates, colored red." We apprehend that extraordinary care 
was not fashionable. One might infer that the " front " only 
was secured by a fence. From that day to the beginning of 
the present century, it was not unusual to let these precious, 
and we may add sacred, spots be exposed to the visits of 
vagrant animals. 

May 12, 1785 : " Voted that no cattle be permitted to 
graze in the burying-ground." 

The " Old Burying Ground," as it was called, being near 
the most populous part of Medford, was better defended by 
walls than was common in many towns ; yet we remember 
the wall on its east -side, as low, broken, and insufficient. 

March 5, 1739 : It is, for the first time, proposed to build 
tombs ; and the north side of the graveyard is designated as 
the most proper place. None were built until many years 
later. 

The town passed the following vote, May 11, 1786: 
" Voted to give liberty to any person to build a tomb in the 



BURYING-GROUNDS. 427 

burying-ground." This custom of burying the dead in tombs 
grew so fast and strong that almost every family had a tomb, 
or part of one. This prevented the erection of gravestones, 
and thereby deprived posterity of all the knowledge derived 
from these authentic records. It was the custom, in the ear- 
lier times, for a family to choose the spot in the burying- 
ground where they would gather their dead ; and for others 
to invade this spot was considered an outrage on social rights 
and Christian feelings. In the old burying-ground, there 
are many remains of this arrangement ; and we trust that no 
sacrilegious hand will now be laid on these sacred relics. In 
the south-west corner of that ground, the slaves were buried ; 
but no monumental stones were raised! Are there as many 
gravestones now standing within the old burying-ground as 
were there fifty years ago ? "We think not. Where are they ? 
Can the mouths of the tombs answer ? 

There were six tombs built in 1767 by private gentlemen. 
Benjamin Floyd was the builder. They are those nearest the 
front gate, on its western side, and are under the sidewalk of 
the street. The bricks of which they are built were made 
in the yard west of Rock Hill. The common price of a tomb 
has been one hundred and two dollars. 

Though many new tombs had been built, and some little 
additional space secured in the old burying-ground, still there 
was need of further accommodations for burial ; and the town 
therefore voted, May 11, 1812, to request the selectmen to 
consider what further provisions could be made. This led 
to the appointment of a committee in May, 1813. A new 
burying-place seemed to be necessary ; and the committee so 
reported. No definite action was had until May, 1816, when 
another committee reported, that the land which the town had 
purchased in Cross Street, near Mr. Turner's ship-yard, for the 
position of an alms-house, had better be used as a burying- 
ground. The town acceded ; and then ordered that the land 
be laid out in lots, that a proper fence be built around it, and 
that trees be planted in such number and order as to make 
the enclosure appear as such a place should. 

March 7, 1853 : Voted to remove the pound on Cross 
Street, and extend the burial-ground to the line of said street, 
and build thereon a suitable iron fence, with stone base- 
ment. 

The next movement for another burying-ground was 
March 6, 1837, when the town passed the following : " Voted 



428 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

that the article relative to purchasing land for a burial-ground, 
in the easterly part of the town, be indefinitely postponed." 
For many years, the eastern wall of the old burying- 
ground was broken and insufficient. The writer of this 
directed the attention of the Hon. Peter C. Brooks to the 
subject in 1846 : the consequence was an offer of five hun- 
dred dollars from that gentleman to the town, for the pur- 
pose of building a granite wall, reaching from the Baptist 
meeting-house through the whole eastern front of the ground. 
The town accepted the offer, and voted thanks, Nov. 8, 1847. 
There was a strip of land, twenty feet or more, added here 
to the old limits ; and the new granite wall encloses it. This 
strip was laid out in lots, and sold at auction Aug. 3, 1848. 
Mr. Brooks had a lot reserved for him ; and he chose the 
central one, and urged a relative to purchase the one conti- 
guous on the north, that we might be near our early ances- 
tors, who are buried a few feet west of these enclosures. We 
trust that future generations will cherish so much reverence 
for antiquity as will secure the ashes of their ancestors from 
removal or neglect. 

The establishment of the cemetery of Mount Auburn has 
created in this neighborhood a strong preference for such 
burial-places ; and Medford resolved to have one. The fol- 
lowing was passed, Nov. 13, 1848 : "Voted that the subject- 
matter of the fifth article in the warrant, relative to procuring 
additional land for burial purposes, be referred to a committee 
of five, to examine locations, obtain prices, &c, and to report 
at the next March meeting." 

Nov. 12, 1849 : The committee reported it expedient to 
buy ten and a half acres of land, at fifty dollars per acre, 
of Leonard Bucknam. The town concurred, and empowered 
the committee to make the purchase. 

March 4, 1850 : "Voted to choose a committee to lay out 
and otherwise improve said new burying-ground." Also 
voted to expend five hundred dollars accordingly. 

After further examination of this land, the committee 
recommended an abandonment of the above plan ; and, March 
10, 1851, the town voted to build an alms-house on said 
land. 

July 19, 1852 : The subject came before the town ; and 
Messrs. George "W. Porter, Robert L. Ells, Paul Curtis, 
John B. Hatch, and Sanford B. Perry, were chosen a com- 
mittee " to purchase land for a cemetery." These gentlemen 






BURYING-GROUNDS. 429 

examined several spots, and finally recommended one owned 
by Mr. Edward Brooks, situated nearly opposite the head of 
Purchase Street, in W.est Medford, and containing twelve 
acres. It has a varied surface of hill, valley, and plain ; is 
well covered with young oaks and beautiful forest-trees ; its 
soil is dry, and not liable to injury from rain ; the absence of 
ledges will make digging easy ; and its retired and accessible 
position renders it peculiarly fit for such a sacred appropria- 
tion. The committee had obtained the consent of the owner 
to sell; and the price was five thousand dollars. They 
recommended the purchase ; and the town accepted and 
adopted their report, Aug. 16, 1852. Thus an extensive and 
beautiful cemetery is secured to future generations. 

The committee declined further service ; and Messrs. San- 
ford B. Perry, Paul Curtis, Edmund T. Hastings, George T. 
Goodwin, and James R. Turner, were chosen to attend to all 
further business connected with the subject. March 7, 1853, 
the town instructed the committee to build a receiving-tomb, 
to lay out roads and paths, to erect fences, and make such im- 
provements as they see fit. 

Oct. 13, 1853 : The committee made their first report. 
They recommended that it be called Oak Grove Cemetery. 
Among the rules and regulations are the following : — 

" The cemetery shall be under the care of the selectmen, who 
shall appoint a superintendent. Any citizen, who may become the 
owner of a lot, must submit to the conditions : Fences appropriate 
to the place may be built to enclose lots. No lot can be used for 
any purpose, except the burial of the dead. No tree shall be cut 
down without the consent of the Cemetery Committee. Any 
funeral monument or structure may be erected, except a tomb. 
Trees, shrubs, and flowers may be planted and cultivated. Any 
improper structure or offensive inscription shall be removed by the 
committee. No tomb shall be built within the cemetery, except by 
special vote of the town. No burials for hire. No disinterment, 
except by permission. 

" The town-clerk shall be clerk of the Cemetery Committee. All 
deeds shall be executed in behalf of the town. The lots shall be 
apprized, numbered, and recorded, and the right of choice sold at 
public auction. Lots may afterwards be sold by the selectmen. 
Duplicate keys of the gates and receiving-tomb shall be kept by 
the officers. No dead body shall remain in the receiving-tomb, 
during warm weather, more than twenty days. No grave for any 
person, over twelve years of age, shall be less than five feet deep. 
All burials in the free public lot shall be in the order directed by 
the committee. No body shall be disinterred without permission of 



430 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

the committee. No carriage shall be admitted within the grounds, 
unless by permission, or when accompanied by the owner of a lot. 
No refreshments, smoking, unseemly noise, discharge of fire-arms, 
or disorderly conduct, allowed. Vehicles admitted must be driven 
no faster than a walk. All writing upon or defacing of structures, 
all breaking of trees or gathering of flowers, forbidden. No indi- 
vidual shall be the proprietor of more than two lots. The town of 
Medford will for ever keep in good repair the fence, gates, carriage- 
ways, and footpaths of the cemetery, and make a secure place of 
burial for the dead, and an attractive resort for the living." 

This brief abstract of the report of the committee shows 
the town anxious to make the most generous appropriations 
for this sacred and cherished object. 

March 6, 1854 : The town accepted and adopted the report 
of the committee appointed to direct the preparation of the 
cemetery for use. The items of their bill of costs will suffi- 
ciently explain the very beginning of the noble work. They 
are as follows : — 

Paid for land . . $5,000.00 

„ labor on streets 774.89 

„ receiving-tomb 359.10 

„ stone wall and posts 715.63 

„ sundries 280.98 

$7,130.60 

Due Mr. Wadsworth, for plan, &c. ... $275.00 
„ Denis and Roberts, for iron gates . . 60.00 
„ N. A. Chandler, for work .... 45.00 

$380.00 



$7,510.60 

The place was solemnly consecrated by religious services, 
performed within the enclosure, Oct. 31, 1853 ; and then the 
lots were offered for sale at public auction. Thirty-one lots 
were sold on the first occasion for $634.50 ; and the highest 
price given for choice was $15; and the lowest, $1. The 
highest price fixed upon the best lots was $20 ; and the lowest 
price for a lot, $5. 

February, 1855 : The whole number of lots sold is fifty- 
one ; and their cost was $1,025. 

Several who bought commenced immediately the prepara- 
tion of their grounds, and erected fences, and planted flower- 
shrubs and evergreens. Though just opened, there are 
already indications of good taste and costly expenditure. 
"We trust that the inhabitants will be disposed to build a 



CHIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. 431 

chapel, of Christian architecture, within twenty years ; and 
surround the land, not with an iron fence, but a granite wall, 
eight feet high. Medford has faithfully performed a sacred 
duty in procuring this rural cemetery. The place must ere 
long become populous ; and, as one after another goes there 
to claim his tenantry in the dust below, may each surviving 
mourner be comforted in the assurance, that mortality is swal- 
lowed up of life ! 



CHAPTER XII. 



CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. 

We trust, that, for the honor of Medford, records under this 
head will not be found numerous. We must tell the whole 
truth, let honor or infamy be the consequence ; and we 
regret to learn that our plantation was so soon the scene of a 
mortal strife. In the Colony records, we thus read, Sept. 
28, 1630 : " A jury of fifteen were impanelled, concerning 
the death of Austen Bratcher" (Bradshaw). "Austen 
Bratcher, dying lately at Mr. Cradock's plantation, was 
viewed before his burial by divers persons. The jury's ver- 
dict : We find that the strokes given by Walter Palmer were 
occasionally the means of the death of Austen Bratcher ; and 
so to be manslaughter." Palmer was bound over to be tried 
at Boston for this death ; and, on the 9th of November, the 
jury bring in a verdict of " Not guilty." 

At a court held at Watertown, March 8, 1631, "Ordered 
that Thomas Fox, servant of Mr. Cradock, shall be whipped 
for uttering malicious and scandalous speeches, whereby he 
sought to traduce the court, as if they had taken some bribe 
in the business concerning Walter Palmer." This Thomas 
Fox was fined four times* and seems to have been possessed 
by the very demon of mischief. He left the plantation with- 
out his benediction. 

June 14, 1631 : " At this court, one Philip Radcliff, a ser- 
vant of Mr. Cradock, being convict, ore tenus, of most foul, 
scandalous invectives against our churches and government, 



432 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

was censured to be whipped, lose his ears, and be banished 
the plantation, — which was presently executed." This 
sentence, so worthy of Draco, convinces us that some of the 
early judges in the colony were men who had baptized their 
passions with the name of holiness, and then felt that they 
had a right to murder humanity in the name of God. 

June 5, 1638 : " John Smyth, of Meadford, for swearing, 
being penitent, was set in the bilboes." 

Oct. 4, 1638 : " Henry Collins is fined five shillings for 
not appearing when he was called to serve upon the grand 
jury." 

Sept. 3, 1639 : " Nicholas Davison (Mr. Cradock's agent), 
for swearing an oath, was ordered to pay one pound ; which 
he consented unto." 

Nov. 14, 1644 : The General Court order that all Baptists 
shall be banished, if they defend their doctrine. 

Nov. 4, 1646 : The General Court decree that " the blas- 
phemer shall be put to death." 

May 26, 1647 : Roman Catholic priests and Jesuits are 
forbidden to enter this jurisdiction. They shall be banished 
on their first visit ; and, on their second, they shall be put to 
death. 

" Edward Gould, for his miscarriage, is fined one pound." 

There was a singular persecution of the Baptists in the 
early times among us. They were not sufficiently numerous 
to be formed into an organized society ; and yet they were 
so skilful in defending their creed, and so blameless in 
their daily walk, that they became very irritating to the 
covenant Puritans ; and some wished they should be cropped ! 
In April, 1667, a great dispute was held at Boston between 
them and the Calvinists. Who were the champions in this 
gladiatorial encounter we do not know, nor where victory 
perched ; but we have proof of blind, unchristian persecu- 
tion, which stands a blot on the page of history. At the 
" Ten Hills," in Mistick, lived a servant of John Winthrop, 
jun., who professed the Baptist faith. Mary Gould, his 
wife, who was with him in his creed, writes to John Win- 
throp, jun., March 23, 1669, concerning her husband's 
imprisonment in Boston on account of his peculiar faith. 
Whether what was done at " Ten Hills " was approved at 
Medford we do not know ; but these facts tell volumes con- 
cerning the ideas, principles, and practices of some of the 
Puritan Pilgrims of New England. 



CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. 



Indians convicted of crime, or taken prisoners in "war, 
were sold by our fathers as slaves ! 

June 14, 1642 : " If parents or masters neglect training up 
their children in learning, and labor, and other employments 
which may be profitable to the Commonwealth, they shall be 
sufficiently punished by fines for the neglect thereof." 

Nov. 4, 1646 : The General Court order : — 

" If a man have a rebellious son, of sufficient age and understand- 
ing, — viz., sixteen, — which will not obey the voice of his father or 
the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, 
will not hearken unto them, then shall his father and mother, being 
his natural parents, lay hold on him, and bring him to the magis- 
trates assembled in court, and testify unto them, by sufficient evi- 
dence, that this their son is stubborn and rebellious, and will not 
obey their voice and chastisement, but lives in sundry notorious 
crimes. Such a son shall be put to death." 

1672 : Our ancestors had the gag and ducking-stool for 

female scolds. Such persons were " to be gagged, or set in 

a ducking-stool, and dipped over head and ears three times, in 

some convenient place of fresh or salt water, as the court 

judge meet." 

" Down in the deep the stool descends : 
But here, at first, we miss our ends. 
She mounts ajjain, and iages more 
Than ever vixen did before. 
So throwing water on the fire 
Will make it but burn up the higher. 
If so, my friend, pray let her take 
A second turn into the lake ; 
And, rather than your patience lose, 
Thrice and again repeat the dose." 

The stocks stood in the centre of a village. The offender 
had both hands and both feet entrapped between two boards ; 
sometimes only one foot and one hand. 




55 



434 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



The whipping-post stood near the meeting-house, and was 
often used : even women suffered the indignity. 

Conspicuous in the meeting-house was the stool of repent- 
ance, on which moral culprits sat during divine service and 
on lecture-days. Sometimes they wore a paper cap, on which 
was written their sin. Wearing a halter round the neck was 
another form of punishment. The pillory was often used ; 
and the offender was saluted by the boys with rotten eggs. 




Military offenders were obliged to ride the wooden horse, 
or sit in the bilboes. Branding on the forehead, the cage, 
and the gallows, were each resorted to, according to the 
degrees of crime. 

The Christian sentiments of the heart are outraged by the 
shameless exhibitions and cruelties sometimes witnessed on 
" lecture-day." What a transition, — from the altar of God 
to the public whipping-post, to see women whipped upon 
the bare back ! This was teaching Puritan individualism 
with a vengeance. 

The custom of whipping did not cease in Medford till 
1790! 



SLAVERY. 



Our fathers held slaves in Medford. There are persons 
now living among us who remember slaves in their family. 
They were treated, generally, much after the manner of chil- 
dren. Africans were brought to this colony and sold among 
us, for the first time, Feb. 26, 1638. In 1637, Captain Wil- 
liam Pierce was employed to carry Pequot captives and sell 



SLAVERY. 435 

them in the "West Indies ! On his return from Tortugas, 
"he brought home a cargo of cotton, tobacco, salt, and 
negroes " ! Slavery was thus introduced as« early as 1638 ; 
but, in 1645, the General Court passed this noble, this truly 
Christian, order : — 

" The General Court, conceiving themselves bound by the first 
opportunity to bear witness against the heinous and crying sin of 
man-stealing, as also to prescribe such timely redress for what is 
past, and such a law for the future, as may sufficiently deter all 
others belonging to us to have to do in such vile and most odious 
courses, justly abhorred of all good and just men, do order, that 
the negro interpreter, with others unlawfully taken, be, by the first 
opportunity (at the charge of the country for the present), sent to 
his native country of Guinea, and a letter with him of the indig- 
nation of the court thereabouts, and justice thereof, desiring our 
honored governor would please put this order into execution." 

May 29, 1644 : Slaves took the name of their first master. 
"John Gore is granted leave to set his servant, Thomas 
Reeves, free." 

Respecting taxes on black servants, we have the subse- 
quent items : Each of them, in 1694, was assessed twelve- 
pence ; from 1700 to 1719, as personal estate; 1727, each 
male fifteen pounds, and each female ten pounds ; from 1731 
to 1775, as personal property. In 1701, the inhabitants of 
Boston gave the following magnanimous direction : "The 
representatives are desired to promote the encouraging the 
bringing of white servants, and to put a period to negroes 
being slaves." 

Colonel Royal (Dec. 7, 1737) petitions the General Court, 
that, having lately arrived from Antigua, he has with him 
several slaves for his own use, and not to sell, and therefore 
prays that the duty on them be remitted. The duty was four 
pounds a head. This petition was laid on the table, and rests 
there yet. In 1781, a final blow was given to slavery in 
Massachusetts ; and in this the inhabitants of Medford una- 
nimously rejoiced. To show how anxious our fathers were 
to prevent all abuse of an existing custom, the town passed 
the following vote, Aug. 4, 1718 : "Voted that every inha- 
bitant of this town (Medford) shall, when they buy any ser- 
vant, male or female, be obliged to acquaint and inform the 
selectmen of said town, for their approbation." It was a 
settled law with our fathers, that " no man shall hire any 



436 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

slave for a servant for less time than one year, unless he be 
a settled housekeep." 

Men sold their labor for a certain number of years, or to 
pay the expenses of immigration ; and, in such cases, were 
sometimes called slaves. Referring to such cases, we find 
the following : " Ordered that no servant shall be set free, 
or have any lot, until he has served out the time cove- 
nanted." 

April 1, 1634, the General Court passed an order, "that if 
any boy (that hath been whipped for running away from his 
master) be taken in any other plantation, not having a note 
from his master to testify his business there, it shall be law- 
ful for the constable of said plantation to whip him, and send 
him home." One hundred years after this time, our Med- 
ford ancestors found themselves willing to pass the follow- 
ing : — 

Sept. 17, 1734 : " Voted that all negro, Indian, and mulatto ser- 
vants that are found abroad without leave, and not in their masters' 
business, shall be taken up and whipped, ten stripes on their naked 
body, by any freeholder of the town, and be carried to their respec- 
tive masters ; and said master shall be obliged to pay the sum of 
2s. 6d. in money to said person that shall so do." 

This vote, we presume, must have been imported from 
Jamaica. Did our progenitors so learn Christ ? 

1680 : "There are as many (one hundred and twenty) Scots 
brought hither and sold for servants in time of the war with 
England, and most now married and living here, and about 
half so many Irish brought hither at several times as servants." 

Judge Sewall, of Massachusetts, June 22, 1716, says, " I 
essayed to prevent negroes and Indians being rated with 
horses and cattle, but could not succeed." 

No cargoes of slaves were brought into Medford ; but how 
many cargoes of Medford rum went to Africa and the West 
Indies, and were returned in slaves to Carolina or Rhode 
Island, we cannot say. The gentlemen of Medford have 
always disclaimed any participation in the slave-trade. 

The following extract from a letter, dated Boston, 14th 
January, 1759, may show what was done at that time. It is 
as follows : — 

" Captain William Ellery. Sir, — The 'Snow Caesar' is fully 
loaded and equipped for sea. My orders are to you, that you embrace 
the first favorable opportunity of wind and weather, and proceed to 



SLAVERY. 



437 



the coast of Africa ; touching first, if you think proper, at Senegal, 
where, if you find encouragement, you may part with such part of 
your cargo as you can sell to your liking, and then proceed down 
the coast to such ports or places as you judge best to dispose of 
your cargo to advantage, so as to purchase a cargo of two hundred 
slaves, with which you are to proceed to South Carolina, unless a 
peace should happen, or a good opportunity of coming off with a 
man-of-war, or some vessel of force, for the West Indies. In that 
case, I would recommend the Island of St. Christopher's, being 
handy to St. Eustatia's, for the sale of your slaves. Buy no girls, 
and few women ; but buy prime boys and young men. As you 
have had often the care of slaves, so I think it needless to say much 
upon that head in regard to keeping them well secured and a con- 
stant watch over them. 

" Your cargo is good, and well assorted. Your rum, I make no 
doubt, will hold out more than it was taken in for ; having proved 
some to hold out more than the gauge. As you have guns and men, 
I doubt not you'll make a good use of them if required. Bring 
some of the slaves this way, if not too late. 

" I am, with wishing you health, success, and happiness, your 
assured friend and owner, 



* * » 



One article of the outward cargo stands on the account 
thus : " Eighty-two barrels, six hogsheads, and six tierces of 
New England rum ; thirty -three barrels best Jamaica spirits ; 
thirty -three barrels of Barbadoes rum ; twenty-five pair pis- 
tols ; two casks musket-ball ; one chest of hand-arms ; twenty- 
five cutlasses." 

The return cargo is recorded thus : " In the hole, on board 
of the ' Snow Caesar,' one hundred and fifty-three adult 
slaves, and two children." 

The following is a fair specimen of the captain's running- 
account, in his purchase of slaves, while on the coast of 
Africa, copied by us from the original manuscript : — 



Dr. 








1770. 


gals. 


1770. 


gals. 


April 22. 


To 1 hogshead of rum . . 110 


April 


22. 


By 1 woman-slave .... 110 






May 


1 


,, 1 prime woman-slave . 130 
„ 1 boy -slave, 4ft. lin. . 105 


„ 2. 


„ 1 hogshead rum .... 105 


2. 


» 7. 


,, 1 hogshead rum .... 108 


>> 


7. 


„ 1 boy-slave, 4ft. 3in. . 108 


» 6. 


„ cash in gold 5oz. 2. 


n 


5. 


„ 1 prime man-slave . 5oz. 2. 


„ 5. 


„ cash in gqld . . 2oz. 








„ 5. 


„ 2 doz. of snuff . loz. 

3oz. 0. 


it 


5. 


„ 1 old man for a Lin- 

gister 3oz. 0. 



How will the above read in the capital of Liberia two 
hundred years hence ? 



438 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

In 1754, there were in Medford twenty-seven male and 
seven female slaves, and fifteen free blacks ; total, forty-nine. 
In 1764, there were forty-nine free blacks. When the law 
freed all the slaves, many in Medford chose to remain with 
their masters ; and they were faithful unto death. 

LIST OF SLAVES, AND THEIR OWNERS* NAMES. 

Worcester, . . . owned by . . . Rev. E. Turell. 

Pornpey Dr. Simon Tufts. 

Rose Captain Thomas Brooks. 

Pomp „ „ ,, 

Peter Captain Francis Whitmore. 

London Simon Bradshaw. 

Selby Deacon Benjamin Willis. 

Prince Benjamin Hall. , 

Punch Widow, Brooks. 

Flora Stephen Hall. 

Richard Hugh Floyd. 

Dinah Captain Kent. 

Caesar Mr. Brown. 

Scipio Mr. Pool. 

Peter Squire Hall. 

Nice „ „ 

Cuffee . • Stephen Greenleaf. 

Isaac Joseph Tufts. 

Aaron Henry Gardner. 

Chloe 

Negro girl Mr. Boylston. 

Neerro woman Dr. Brooks. 

Joseph, Plato, Phebe Isaac Royal. 

Peter, Abraham, Cooper „ „ 

Stephy, George, Hagar .... „ „ 

Mira, Nancy, Betsey „ „ 

We are indebted to a friend for the following : " It may 
be interesting here to mention a circumstance illustrative of 
the general feeling of the town in those days with regard to 
slavery. In the spring of 1798 or '99, a foreigner named 
Andriesse, originally from Holland, who had served many 
years at the Cape of Good Hope and in Batavia as a com- 
modore in the Dutch navy, moved into the town from Bos- 
ton, where he had lost, it was said, by unlucky speculations 
and the tricks of swindlers, a large part of the property 
which he had brought to this country from the East Indies. 
His family consisted of a wife and four children, with from 
fifteen to twenty Malay slaves. He lived only a month or 
two after his arrival in the town ; and his widow, immediately 



SLAVERY. 439 

after his decease, sent back to their own country the greater 
part of the Malays, retaining only three or four of them for 
domestic service. Among these was a youth named Caesar, 
who was master of the tailor's trade, and made all the clothes 
of the family, three of the children being boys. He worked 
not only for his mistress, but was permitted by her to do jobs 
in other families ; and, being quick and docile, he became a 
general favorite. But, in the summer of 1805, Mrs. Andriesse 
was induced to return to Batavia, having received the offer of 
a free passage for herself and family in one of Mr. David 
Sears's vessels, and having ascertained, that, if she returned, 
her boys might be educated there at the expense of the 
Dutch government, and she herself would be entitled to a 
pension. All her servants returned with her, except Caesar. 
He was sold to a son of old Captain Ingraham, who resided 
at the South, and owned a plantation there. Whether his 
mistress thus disposed of him for her own advantage, or be- 
cause he was unwilling to return to his own country, cannot 
now be ascertained. In process of time, four or five years 
afterwards, Mr. Ingraham came on from the South to visit 
his aged father, bringing with him his e boy ' Caesar, who left 
behind a wife and two children. Caesar renewed acquaint- 
ance with his former friends, and expressed a decided pre- 
ference for the freedom of the North over all the blessings 
which he had enjoyed at the South. They were not slow to 
inform him that he might be a free man if he chose ; and he 
accordingly attempted to escape from his master. But, not 
having laid his plan with sufficient skill, he was overtaken in 
the upper part of the town, on his way to Woburn, and 
closely buckled into a chaise by Mr. Ingraham, who intended 
to drive into Boston with him, and lodge him on board the ves- 
sel which was to convey both of them home. Caesar, however, 
had a trusty friend in Mr. Nathan Wait, the blacksmith, 
who had promised in no extremity to desert him ; and as the 
chaise reached Meclford Bridge, upon the edge of which 
stood Mr. Wait's smithy, he roared so lustily that Mr. Wait 
sprang out of his shop, hot from the anvil, and, standing 
before the horse, sternly forbade the driver from carrying a 
free man into slavery. Being ordered to mind his own busi- 
ness, he indignantly shook his fist at Mr. Ingraham, and re- 
torted, that he would hear from him again in a manner less 
acceptable. A general commotion then ensued among Cae- 
sar's friends, and they included many of the most respecta- 



440 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

ble citizens in the whole town. Apprehensions were enter- 
tained that he would be secreted, and that his pursuers might 
be subjected to a long, and perhaps fruitless, search. In 
those days, one daily coach maintained the chief intercourse 
between Boston and Medford. Accordingly, on the evening 
of this memorable day, Mr. Ingraham was one of the pas- 
sengers who happened to be returning to Medford. His 
unguarded whisper to his next neighbor, * I have him safe 
now on shipboard,' chanced to be overheard by some ladies, 
who speeded the intelligence to Caesar's friends. Their course 
then became clear. Mr. Wait instantly obtained from the 
Governor of the State the requisite authority and officers, 
proceeded to the vessel, and brought off Caesar in triumph. 
Great pains were taken by Mr. Ingraham to ascertain the 
names of the eavesdropping ladies who had betrayed his 
counsel ; but Mr. Wyman, the long-approved Medford stage- 
driver, was visited on the occasion by a convenient shortness 
of memory, which wKolly disqualified him from recollecting 
who were his female passengers that evening ; ' women,' as 
he afterwards added when telling the story, ' never liking to 
be dragged into court.' Redress by law was vainly at- 
tempted by the master. The case was tried, first at Cam- 
bridge, in the Court of Common Pleas, and then by appeal, 
at Concord; large numbers of witnesses being summoned 
from Medford. Caesar worked at his trade in Medford seve- 
ral years with great approbation, and afterwards removed to 
Woburn, where he married again, and was called Mr. Ander- 
son. He died in middle-age." 

Medford was the first town in the United States that res- 
cued a fugitive slave. The antislavery movement of our 
day is one of the most prominent and effectual agencies ever 
witnessed. It has waked up the nation to the injustice and 
moral evil of involuntary bondage ; and Medford has its full 
share of intelligent, persevering, and Christian opposers of 
the slave-system. Advocates of the system we have none. 
The Rev. John Pierpont and the Rev. Caleb Stetson early 
became devoted and able lecturers in the field ; and, if a fugi- 
tive slave should now reach Medford, there would be fifty- 
Nathan Waits to shelter and comfort him. 



PAUPERISM. 441 



PAUPERISM. 



To this class of unfortunates every Christian heart should 
turn with sympathy, and desire to become a Howard to them. 
Sad, sad indeed it is to be left to the bleak mercy of the 
world. That provisions for the poor increase the poor, there 
can be no doubt ; yet, after all due allowances are made, the 
fact is that there are the imbecile, the unfortunate, the widow, 
and the fatherless, who come to extreme want without much 
fault on their part. The virtuous poor should always be 
separated from the vicious. To force them into familiar in- 
tercourse is cruelty and wickedness. Indigent persons, sup- 
ported by public charge, were known but in the smallest 
numbers to our early ancestors. When a case of extreme 
want occurred, it was provided for by private charity. There 
seemed to be a settled resolve of the Pilgrims that they would 
not have here the poverty and the alms-houses they had left 
behind them. In Medford was illustrated these remarks as 
early as June 6, 1637, when we find the following vote con- 
cerning a resident here : " Whereas John Binfield died, 
leaving two children undisposed of, the charge of the one 
is ordered to be defrayed by Mr. Cradock, he having the 
goods of the deceased, the other child being disposed of by 
the country." We see from this that the poor belonged to 
the whole colony, and " the country disposed of them." 

The care of our forefathers to keep pure may be seen in 
the following vote : — 

" March 4, 1685 : The selectmen shall be empowered to prevent 
any person from coming into the town that may be suspicious of 
burden or damage to said town." 

This vote of Medford looked at a case then existing. April 
1, 1685, the selectmen protest as follows : — 

" Whereas William Burges, of Cambridge, haih lately intruded 
himself, with his family, into the town of Meadford, contrary to law, 
without the approbation of the town or townsmen, and he having 
been warned to be gone, and yet continues in said town without 
liberty, we, as selectmen, do hereby, in behalf of said town, protest 
against him, said William Burges, and his family, as being any legal 
inhabitants of the town of Meadford." 

The first person who threw himself on the charity of Med- 
ford, and caused legislation in the town, was John Man, who 

56 



442 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

seemed a standing irritant to the parsimonious, and a conve- 
nient whetstone to wits. 

" Seven cities now contend for Homer dead, 
Through which the living Homer begged his bread." 

Whether any thing of this sort happened to John Man, we 
do not know ; but we do know that Cambridge and Med- 
ford did ft contend " stoutly that the " living " man did not 
belong to them. When the question of habitancy arose, the 
justice of the King's Court would cite the towns interested 
in the case, and require from them the fullest proofs in every 
particular ; and, when a town got rid of a pauper, it seemed 
to call forth a general thanksgiving. The final decision gave 
the pauper in this case to Medford ; and, in 1709, the town 
passed a vote " to put him to board at Samuel Polly's, at 
three shillings a week." But their beneficiary must have 
something more than board ; therefore Ave soon find the town 
furnishing " one coat for John Man, £1. 13s.; one pair of stock- 
ings, 4s." That his clothes wore out, we have record-proof 
in the following item : " Oct. 27, 1713 : Voted a pair of leather 
breeches, a pair of shoes and stockings, to John Man." 1718 : 
Voted to defend the town against vagrants, and to prevent 
their coming to rest in it. Paupers coming upon the town were 
thought to be like angels' visits only in one respect, — they 
were " few and far between." Another is introduced to our 
notice in the following record : April 25, 1728 : Voted to 
support the widow Willis as we have done, " she being more 
than ordinarily troublesome." Ten pounds were voted. 

Dec. 3, 1737 : " Voted that the town will not choose over- 
seers of the poor." For many succeeding years, Medford 
took the same care of its poor as did other towns. It was a 
common custom to board them in private families, at the 
lowest rates, allowing such families to get what work out of 
them they could. Accordingly, at the March meeting each 
year, the " poor were set up at auction," and went to the 
lowest bidder. In 1799, the town voted to pay for the school- 
ing of all the poor children at a woman's school. They had 
always enjoyed the privileges of the public school like other 
children. 

Thomas Seccomb, Esq., who died April 15, 1773, gave by 
his will some money to the town of Medford. The amount 
was increased by a donation from his widow, till it reached 
the sum of £133. 6s. Sd. (lawful money), which was just 



PAUPERISM. 443 



equal to £100 sterling of English currency. The interest only 
was to be distributed annually among the most necessitous 

It was common to imprison the poor debtor. JuLy lo 
1770, the town voted to give security to the high-sheriti, and 
thus release Nathaniel Francis from jail. 

When the town bought their first alms-house, the num- 
ber of paupers lessened, because there were some who would 
not submit to being connected with such a house and some 
who would not associate with such a mixture, lhe pauper- 
tax, therefore, was smaller. When, in 1813 the new brick 
house was built, and afterwards so admirably managed, the 
earnings of the inmates were enough to less en the ^poor- ax 
nearly one-half. The cost that year was $1,010.25 ; which 
is fifty per cent less, proportionally, than the expenses before 
an alms-house was used. This may help to explain a state- 
ment in the report of a committee on town-expenses in 1815, 
when they say, « The revenue of the town has fortunately 
been more than sufficient to meet its expenditures. lhe 
males in the alms-house were put to mending our lnghways. 
The keeper of the house and the surveyor directed their 
labors ; and it took them most of their time to accomplish 
the whole work. In 1830, they did three hundred and ninety- 
one days' labor on the public roads ; and the cost of each 
pauper's support then was seventy-eight and one-half cents 

Pe inT837 5 a proposition was made to purchase some land 
attached to that then owned by the town near the alms-house. 
After mature deliberation, the committee to whom it was re- 
ferred reported against the measure. , , 
Since the erection of the new house in 1852, the town s 
poor have not increased, though every good care is taken of 
them which their circumstances require. The town of Med- 
ford has always selected some of its best citizens to oversee 
and regulate the management of the poor; and they have 
performed their duties with commendable sympathy and dis- 

"The 1 ' nearness of the alms-house to the places of public 
worship has rendered special religious services at the house 
bL imperative. Whenever there has been a call for extra 
serviced has been immediately performed by -me clergy- 
man of the town. A series of sermons was preached at the 
house, each settled minister taking his turn. Similar services 
should be had during each winter. 



i 



444 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The amount paid by the town for support of the poor, 
from Feb. 15, 1854, to Feb. 15, 1855, was $3,571.86! 



TORNADO. 

Medford bears its suffering testimony to the effects of the 
terrible tornado of Aug. 22, 1851. Such extensive destruc- 
tion of property from such a cause has never before been 
witnessed in this State. At a meeting of citizens, Aug. 28,' 
the following votes were passed : — 

"Voted that a committee of five be appointed to appraise da- 
mages. 

" Voted that Gorham Brooks, Charles Caldwell, Franklin Patch, 
Albert Smith, and Jeremiah Gilson, constitute the committee. 

" Voted that the committee be instructed to consider the circum- 
stances of the sufferers, and report cases (if any) where charity is 
deemed necessary. 

" Voted that the committee be authorized to communicate with 
similar committees from other towns, in relation to the publication 
of the results of their investigations. 

" Voted that Rev. Charles Brooks be a committee to collect and 
arrange the facts in reference to science." 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF APPRAISEMENT. 

The amount of individual losses, as estimated by the com- 
mittee, is as follows : — 

Edward Brooks — Barn $25 

Estate belonging to T. P. Smith and others — Buildings, 
$300; fruit-trees, $600; carriages, $75; vegetables, $10 '985 

Charles Rollins — Two dwelling-houses, unfinished, which 
Mr. Rollins was building by contract, both entirely demo- 
lished, including, in one case, the cellar wall. One of these 
buildings was on the property belonging to T. P. Smith and 
others, $4,320 ; the other was for the Rev. Mr. Haskins, 
$1,450 5,770 

House building by J. F. Edward, on property belonging to 
T. P. Smith and others 12 

Boston and Lowell Railroad Company — Freight car blown 

from track, and buildings injured 40 

J. M. Usher — Buildings, $442; fruit-trees, $30; fruit; or- 
namental tree (horse-chestnut), $50 522 

L. B. Usher — Buildings, $50 ; fruit-trees and fruit, $58 ; 
ornamental trees (elm in road, and horse-chestnut), $100 . 208 

Heirs of Leonard Bucknam — Buildings and fences, $450 ; 
fruit-trees, $25 475 



TORNADO. 445 

J. M. Sanford — Fence, $10 ; vegetables, $5 ; furniture and 

clothing, $150 ; carriages, $75 $240 

H. T. Nutter — Vegetables, $5 ; furniture and clothing, $400 405 

Joseph Wyatt — Buildings, $250 ; fruit-trees, $150 ; fruit, $10 410 
Town of Medford — Buildings (school and poorhouse fences, 

&c), $410; ornamental trees, $50; fruit-trees, $50 . . 510 
George E. Harrington — Buildings, $30 ; fruit-trees, $50 ; 

fruit, $8 88 

J. Vreeland — Fruit-trees, $150 ; fruit, $12 162 

A. L. Fitzgerald (house slightly damaged). 

Samuel Teel, jun. — Buildings, $800 ; fruit-trees, $200 ; fruit, 

vegetables, and hay, $61 ; wagons, furniture, &c, $120 . 1,181 
George Caldwell — House, $25 ; fruit-trees, $20 .... 45 
George F. Lane — Buildings, $600 ; fruit-trees, $250 ; vege- 
tables, $16 866 

Thomas Huffraaster — Buildings, $275; fruit-trees, $500; 

fruit and corn, $45 820 

Wellington Russell — Clothing and furniture 25 

E. T. Hastings— Fences, $30 ; fruit-trees, $100 ; fruit, $20 150 

J. B. Hatch — Fences, $5 ; fruit-trees, $75 ; fruit, $25 . . 105 

Nathaniel Tracy — Fence 10 

John W. Hastings — House and fence 25 

Rev. John Pierpont — Buildings, $500 ; fruit-trees, $100 . 600 
Heirs of Jonathan Brooks — Buildings and fences, $677 ; 
fruit-trees, $500 ; ornamental trees, $200 ; fruit, vegeta- 
bles, and hay, $80; carriages and hay-rack, $175 . . . 1,632 
Alfred Brooks — Buildings, $350; fruit-trees, $100 . . . 450 
Noah Johnson — Buildings, $445 ; hay and grain in barn, 

$40 ; ox-wagon and farming-tools, $42 527 

James Wyman — Fruit-trees 30 

Moses Pierce — House 25 

John V. Fletcher — House, $25 ; fruit-trees, $20 .... 45 

Joseph Swan — Fruit-trees 20 

P. C Hall — Fruit-trees, $920 ; ornamental trees, $50; fruit, 

$80 1,050 

Jonathan Porter — Fruit-trees, $75 ; fruit, $35 110 

William Roach — Fruit-trees 25 

Dudley Hall — Fruit-trees , 25 

Samuel Kidder — Buildings, $50 ; fruit-trees, $400 ; orna- 
mental trees, $50 500 

Thatcher R. Raymond — Fruit-trees, $100 ; ornamental 

trees, $100; fences, $10 210 

John A.Page — Fruit-trees, $150; ornamental trees, $50; 

fences, $50 250 

Russell — Ornamental trees 150 

Orchard (East of Andover Turnpike) . 40 

$18,768 



44:6 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Loss of property in West Cambridge, $23,606. In Wal- 
tham, $4,000. 

The other report of facts, in their relation to science, fills 
forty pages of the little pamphlet which was published Oct. 
30, 1851. It will not be republished here, but may be found 
among the papers of the Smithsonian Institute. 

The tornado commenced about five o'clock, p.m., in Way- 
land, passed through Waltham and West Cambridge, and 
entered Medford a few rods south of " Wear Bridge." From 
that point it moved west by south to east by north, and kept 
this line till it ceased in Chelsea. The report describes the 
following facts: Direction; centre; form; width; speed; 
power ; directions in which trees and vegetables were thrown ; 
directions in which buildings were thrown ; absence of whirl ; 
miscellaneous items ; personal injuries and death. The re- 
port closes thus : — 

" I must pay a tribute of respect to the people of Medford who 
were sufferers by this visitation. One and all have sustained their 
losses, met their disappointments, and borne their sorrows, with a 
true Christian heroism, worthy of all honor. They see in the event 
an extraordinary exhibition of a great law of nature, and they bow 
submissive to nature's God." 



STORMS AND FRESHETS. 

Medford is protected from storms which come from the 
north and west by the range of hills called "Rocks." It 
lies exposed to the easterly, and especially to the south-east- 
erly, winds ; and, from these quarters, it sufFers more than 
some of its neighbors. Snow-storms, coming from the sea, 
are apt to end in rain ; and our nearness to the ocean pre- 
vents the snow descending in that quiet way which is so 
common in the interior. [See remarks on Climate.] 

Against freshets, Medford is particularly well guarded. 
The hilly portions have brooks sufficient to carry off into the 
river any extra quantity of water that may come from long 
rains or melting snows. The parts most exposed are those 
on a level with the banks of the river ; and, when violent 
south-east winds occur during spring-tides, the river rises to 
a dangerous height. A few times within a- century, damages 
have come from this cause. 



FIRES. 



FIRES. 



447 



For the first two hundred years of our settlement, there 
were very few fires, and those few were mostly in the woods. 
The Indians had been used to clearing their planting-fields 
by the summary process of burning ; and they occasionally 
lighted a fire without regard to bounds or proprietorship. 
Not more than two buildings have been burned at the same 
time till quite recently ; but, within the last ten years, it 
has seemed as if former exemptions were to be cancelled 
by rapidly increasing alarms and widely extended conflagra- 
tions. The deepest shade of sorrow is added to this calamity 
by the fact that the fires were sometimes the work of incen- 
diaries. Several peaceable and excellent citizens have thus 
lost their barns at seasons when those barns were most full 
and most needed. The incendiary is truly a child of hell. 

The parts of the Town House which were destroyed by two 
separate fires were restored without much expense to the 
town. 

The greatest and most distressing conflagration that ever 
occurred in Medford was on the night of the 21st of No- 
vember, 1850. It destroyed every building, on Main Street 
and its neighborhood, which stood between the bridge and 
South Street. The number, including dwelling-houses, 
workshops, and barns, was thirty-six. It commenced in 
the old tavern barn, at the north-west corner of the settle- 
ment, when the wind was blowing a gale from that quarter ; 
and it spread with such speed as to prevent all passage over 
the bridge from the north, where ten or fifteen engines were 
collected, waiting for the first opportunity for duty. There 
was but one engine north of the bridge. If, instead of a 
large barn, the first building burned had been a dwelling- 
house, or if the wind had been at any other point, the terrible 
destruction might have been stayed ; but, as every circum- 
stance favored the spread of the flames, their progress 
seemed like lightning ; and they appeared to leap with frantic 
fury from one building to another, as a starving man rushes 
to devour the first food within his reach. Before two o'clock, 
-the whole district was in ashes. It must have gone farther, 
had not engines from towns south of us arrived, and a few 
engines from the north been ferried across the river in scows. 
Nineteen engines were present ; and every fireman and citi- 



448 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

zen did his utmost. Next to the sufferings of those person- 
ally interested in the losses of the conflagration, were those 
of the neighbors and firemen who were stopped on the north 
side of the bridge, and who saw no way of going to the 
relief of their friends but by rushing through sheets of fire. 
If there be acute agony on earth, it is in witnessing calami- 
ties and pains which we have the wish, but not the power, 
to relieve. 

The deprivations and exposures consequent upon such a 
catastrophe can better be imagined than described. Every 
heart and hand in Medford were ready to administer relief; 
and all was done for the sufferers that an active sympathy 
could suggest. Before the first barn was consumed, couriers 
were sent to the neighboring towns ; and the firemen in each 
one answered with promptitude, and arrived in season to 
arrest the devastation. The amount of insurance on the 
buildings was in many cases small ; and losses fell on those 
who could very ill afford them. $1,335 were immediately 
raised by subscription in Medford, and distributed by a com- 
mittee to the greatest sufferers among the poor. To the honor 
of the sufferers be it said, they met the waste of their 
property, the derangement of their business, and the suspen- 
sion of their comforts, with firmness and patience. Before 
the ruins had ceased to smoulder, the sounds of shovel, 
hammer, and trowel announced the work of reconstruction ; 
and, before two years had passed, a new village, Phoenix-like, 
had risen out of the ashes of the old. 

The Committee of Investigation chosen to estimate the 
losses examined each case ; and their report was $36,000, 
after all insurances were deducted. About half of the pro- 
perty was insured. 

This conflagration convinced the town that another bridge 
across the river is a necessity ; and we wish it had secured 
the straightening of Main Street, on the east, from the bridge 
to Short Street. 

At the moment (March 6, 1855) that we chronicle the 
sad events above, we hear that the school-house in Park 
Street is in ruins. It took fire this morning, while the 
children were in it ; and, being of wood and exposed to a 
high wind, it was soon consumed. The children were kept 
from dangerous alarm, and therefore left the house in safety. 
The building was insured for one thousand dollars. 



POUND. DISEASES. 449 



POUND. 

In Medford, there were fewer " lands common " than in 
other towns. The making of fences was difficult at first ; 
and the " pound " came early into use. It was placed so near 
a stream of water as to allow the cattle in it to drink. "Where 
the first one in Medford was placed, we know not. The 
first record is as follows : — 

"Feb. 25, 1684: At a general meeting of the inhabitants, John 
Whitmore granted a piece of land for the use of the town, for the 
setting up of a pound ; which land lies qn the south-east of John 
Whitmore's land, lying near John Bradshaw's house, and is bounded 
south on John Bradshaw, and east upon the country road. ' At the 
same meeting, the inhabitants agreed to set up a pound on the land 
aforesaid." 

April 28, 1684 : " Thomas "Willis was chosen to keep the 
town's pound ; and said pound-keeper shall have, for pound- 
ing, twopence per head for horses and also neat cattle ; one 
penny for each hog ; and, for sheep, after the rate of sixpence 
per score." 

This answered all purposes until May 15, 1758, when the 
town voted "to build a new pound with stone." This was 
built accordingly, and placed on the west side of the " ~Wo- 
burn Road," six or eight rods north of Jonathan Brooks's 
house, in "West Medford. Mr. Samuel Reeves, whose house 
stood on the spot now occupied by Mr. James Gibson's 
house, was the pound-keeper. The walls of this pound 
were very high and strong ; and bad boys thought they had 
a right to throw stones at the cattle there confined. 

March 6, 1809 : Mr. Isaac Brooks and others petitioned the 
town to have the pound removed. This petition was granted 
thus: "Voted to have the pound removed to the town's 
land near Gravelly Bridge, so called ; and said pound to be 
built of wood or stone, at the discretion of the committee." 
There the pound remained only for a short time ; when it 
was removed to Cross Street, near the old brick primary 
schoolhouse. 

DISEASES. 

That our Medford ancestors should have subjected them- 
selves to the attack of some new diseases, or rather of old 

57 



450 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

a 

diseases in modified forms, is most probable. An early his- 
torian says of this region, " Men and women keep their 
complexions, but lose their teeth. The falling off of their 
hair is occasioned by the coldness of the climate." He enu- 
merates the diseases prevalent here in 1638 : " Colds, fever 
and ague, pleurisies, dropsy, palsy, sciatica, cancers, worms." 
Consumption is not mentioned ! We apprehend that the 
health of our fathers was unusually good. There is scarcely 
mention of any epidemic. A new climate, poor food, 
scanty clothing, necessary exposure, hard work, unskilful 
physicians, may, in some cases, have caused desolating dis- 
ease to do its rapid work of death ; but, as a general fact, 
health prevailed through the first fifty years. 

1764 : With reference to the prevalence of smallpox in 
Medford, we find the following vote : " That a fence and 
gate be erected across the main country road, and a smoke- 
house also erected near Medford great bridge, and another 
smokehouse at the West End, and guards be kept." In 
1775, a smokehouse was opened for the purification of 
those persons who had been exposed to the contagion of 
smallpox. It stood on the west side of Main Street, about 
forty rods south of Colonel Royal's house. Visitors from 
Charlestown were unceremoniously stopped and smoked. 

1775 : During this and some following years, there was 
fatal sickness in Medford from dysentery. Out of fifty-six 
deaths in 1775, twenty-three were children. In 1776, there 
were thirty-three deaths ; in 1777, nineteen ; in 1778, thirty- 
seven ; and in 1779, thirteen. No reason is given for these 
differences in numbers. Out of the thirty-seven deaths of 
1778, eighteen were by dysentery, and twenty were children. 
Whooping-cough has, at certain times, been peculiarly destruc- 
tive. Throat-distemper, so called, is often named among 
prevalent causes of death. In 1795, ten children and three 
adults died of it between the 20th of August and the 1st of 
November. Apoplexy seems to have destroyed very few 
lives. During the first fifteen years of Dr. Osgood's minis- 
try, only one case occurred ! 

Oct. 15, 1778 : The town voted to procure a house for 
those patients who had the smallpox. No disease appeared 
to excite so quick and sharp an alarm as this. The early 
modes of treatment gave ample warrant for any fears. In 
1792, the town voted that Mr. Josiah Symmes's house is the 
only one authorized as a hospital for inoculation. At this 



POPULATION. 451 

house, many, both male and female, whom we have known, 
have told us that the patients there were numerous, young, 
and not very sick ; and that the hilarity and frolic of the 
convalescents exceeded all bounds. 

There was one disorder not uncommon among our early 
settlers and their descendants : it was dropsy ; and we opine 
that over-doses of cider may have been the cause. Cider did 
not produce intoxication ; but it filled the stomach to satiety, 
and produced a kind ofwater-loggedness and distention, which 
were apt to make the men cross, and the women sleepy. There 
is another more active demon, not chronicled in ancient my- 
thology, whose history has recently been written in fire. He 
gets a letter of introduction, and comes in the guise of a 
friend to a house, but finally murders the whole family. 
The temperance reformers have tried to cast this demon out ; 
but he will not depart until he has thrown down his victim, 
and "rent him sore." Luxurious living has produced dis- 
eases in the digestive organs, and boundless ambition has 
produced them in the nervous system. Humors have been 
created in our day, and are becoming transmissible to a de- 
gree which threatens whole families. The marriage of first- 
cousins together has done something to produce imbecility 
and early death. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



POPULATION. 

It is supposed that Medford, during the first ten years of its 
settlement, was quite populous ; but the withdrawal of Mr. 
Cradock's men left it small. Another circumstance which 
operated unfavorably for the settlement of the town was the 
few large landholders. Mr. Cradock's heirs sold lots of a 
thousand acres to individuals, who kept possession of them ; 
and thus excluded those enterprising and laborious farmers 
who were the best settlers in those days. Medford could 
fill up only so fast as these few rich owners consented to sell. 
This fact explains much of the early history of the settlement. 



452 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

"While it secured the best kind of settlers, when they did 
come, it prevented that general rush which took place in 
other districts, where land could be had almost for the asking. 
In this, Medford was peculiar ; and these facts explain why 
the town went so long without public schools and churches. 
Surely, in some respects, Medford had a small beginning ; 
but Governor Dudley, speaking on the subject, says, " Small 
things, in the beginning of natural and political bodies, are 
as remarkable as greater in bodies full grown." 

The following records give the town's population at 
several epochs : — 

1707 : Medford had 46 ratable polls ; which number, mul- 
tiplied by five, gives 230 inhabitants. 

In 1736, it had 133 ; which gives 665. 

In 1763, it had 104 houses; 147 families; 161 males 
under sixteen ; 150 females under sixteen ; 207 males above 
sixteen ; 223 females above sixteen. Total, 741 inhabi- 
tants. 

In 1776, it had 967; in 1784, 981; in 1790, 1,029; in 
1800, 1,114; in 1810, 1,443; in 1820, 1,474; in 1830, 
1,755 ; in 1840, 2,478 ; in 1850, 3,749. 

In 18&4, 1,299 residents in Medford were taxed. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

The law-maxim, Consuetudo pro lege servatur, expresses 
what we all feel, — that custom is law ; and is it not stronger 
than any statute ? ,v A free people project themselves into 
their customs and manners as a part of their freedom. So 
was it with our Medford ancestors. The children of our 
first settlers, removed from the sight and dread of European 
aristocracy and social oppression, grew up as the iron cir- 
cumstances of a pioneer life moulded them. Individualism 
seemed forced upon them ; and, if a state organization ex- 
isted, they felt that it existed by them, and not they by it. 
An intellectual and moral manliness grew out of this fact. 

Some of the customs of our ancestors were inconceivably 
puerile, some were needlessly severe, and some gloriously 
noble. The Puritan idea of religion was woven, like a 
golden thread, through the entire web of human life ; and 
nothing but their religion would have enabled them to accom- 
plish what they did. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 453 

It was the custom in Medford for the selectmen to appoint 
a thanksgiving day on hearing of any victory gained by 
British arms in any quarter of the world. They ordered a 
town-fast if a case of smallpox was reported among them, 
or if the weather was unfavorable, or if sickness prevailed, 
or if Quakers threatened to come to their plantation. But 
there were some physical and social evils which they did not 
go to God either to prevent or remedy : they took the ad- 
ministration into their own hands. A Commissioner's Court, 
composed in part of the selectmen of Medford, had jurisdic- 
tion within the town, and could issue warrants and enforce 
judgments. This easy terror proved effective in restraining 
lawless conduct. The agency of this judicial and executive 
power may be seen in our account of crimes and punishments. 
We turn to more agreeable customs. 

Marriages. — Whether it was from jealousy of ministerial 
rights, or hatred of Episcopal forms, or from considering the 
nuptial tie as a mere civil bond, or from any other cause, we 
know not ; but the General Court early deprived clergymen 
of the power of solemnizing marriages, and bestowed it on 
magistrates. This legislation was in direct hostility to 
English usage. May 29, 1686, the General Court made pro- 
clamation, authorizing clergymen to solemnize marriages ; but 
it was a long time before it became common to apply to them. 

If a man made " a motion of marriage " to his chosen one, 
without first gaining the permission of her parents, he was 
fined severely. Before they could be legally married, they 
must be " cried " three times in some public place, each an- 
nouncement being seven days apart. 

Weddings were occasions of exuberant jollity. Pent-up 
nature leaped forth with an hilarious spring, proportioned to 
the social duress in which it had been held. To show how 
much was thought of these red-letter days in Medford, there 
were instances where provisions for them were made in wills. 
The entire day was devoted to one ; and every form of youth- 
ful frolic and maturer joy came in turn. The house of the 
bride was open for all the invited guests of both parties ; and 
rural games were all the fashion. The cake and wine, 
though abundant, did not prevent the offer of more substan- 
tial viands. A custom like this would be apt to run into 
extremes ; and this became so apparent as to call forth from 
the ministers of Boston a " testimony against evil customs " 
in 1719. They called them "riotous irregularities." 



454 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Funerals. — As the Established Church of the mother 
country made a formal service over the remains of its mem- 
bers, it was deemed expedient and Christian, by the Puritans, 
not to imitate such examples ; and, accordingly, they buried 
their dead without funeral prayers. Neither did they read 
the Scriptures ! What they could have substituted for these 
simple, rational, and impressive rites, we do not know, but 
presume it must have been a sermon and a hymn. The first 
prayer made by a clergyman at a funeral, which we have 
heard of, was made by Rev. Mr. Wilson, of Medfield, at the 
funeral of Rev. Mr. Adams, of Roxbury, Aug. 19, 1685. 
The first one made at a funeral in Boston was at the inter- 
ment of Dr. Mayhew, 1766. The pomp and circumstance 
of grief were certainly not forgotten on this side of the 
Atlantic. At the burial of a rich man, a magistrate, or a 
minister, there was great parade and much expense. Mourn- 
ing-scarfs, black crapes, pendulous hatbands, common gloves, 
and gold rings, were gratuities to the chief mourners. The 
officers accompanying the funeral procession bore staffs or 
halberts, robed in mourning. The dead body was carried, 
not by hired men, but by the near friends of the deceased ; 
and the funeral train was often stopped to allow fresh bearers 
to take their turn. When a female was buried, females 
walked first; when a male, the men. At the grave, the 
coffin was opened, to allow the last look. On the return to 
the house, a repast was served ; and there were eating and 
drinking on the largest scale. In a town near Medford, the 
funeral of a clergyman took place in 1774 ; and the record of 
charges runs thus : " For twelve gold rings, £8 ; Lisbon 
wine, Malaga wine, West India rum, £5. 16s. 8d. ; lemons, 
sugar, pipes, and tobacco, £B. 8s. 6d. ; gloves, £40. Is. 6d. ; 
death's-head and cross-bones, 15s." The funeral of Captain 
Sprague (1703) cost £147. 16$. 

" The Grand American Continental Congress," assembled 
at Philadelphia, 1774, agreed with regard to funerals thus : 
" On the death of any relation or friend, none of us, or any 
of our families, will go into any further mourning-dress than 
a black crape or ribbon on the arm or hat, for gentlemen ; 
and black ribbon and necklace, for ladies ; and we will dis- 
countenance the giving of gloves and scarfs at funerals." 
This resolve suddenly changed the New-England customs ; 
and the new customs then introduced continue to hold their 
place. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 455 

Festival Days. — These were too fashionable in the mother 
country to be popular here. There were some holidays, 
of American origin, which were celebrated with enthusiasm. 
Election-day was hailed with drums, guns, and drinking. 
Commencement-day at Cambridge College was a great fes- 
tival, uniting the church and the state ; and each one of the 
whole community seemed personally interested in it. Small 
detachments of boys from Medford went under the care of 
trusty slaves. Neal says, " The people were as cheerful 
among their friends as the English are at Christmas." Or- 
dination-days came not very often ; but, when they did, the 
occasion demanded great outlays in food and drinks ; and, in 
the evening, there were what the ministers called " unbe- 
coming actions," — probably blindman's-buff, and such 
other tolerable frolic as took place at huskings. Pope-day, 
though of English origin, was noticed by our ancestors ; and 
the 5th of November brought the gunpowder-plot, sermons, 
and carousing, into the same twenty-four hours. It was the 
season for bonfires, and for replenishing the mind with hatred 
of the Catholics. 

Of the European holidays which our fathers rejected, there 
was Christmas. If any one observed it, he was fined five 
shillings! Increase Mather (1687), in his "Testimony 
against several Profane and Superstitious Customs now prac- 
tised by some in New England," says Candlemas-day had 
" superstition written on its forehead." " Shrove Tuesday was 
the heathen's shrove-tide, when the pagan Romans made 
little cakes as a sacrifice to their gods, and the heathen Greeks 
made pancakes to their idols." Drinking healths, and 
making New-Year's gifts, were discouraged, as paganish 
customs. The drama was thus forbidden: "Baptized per- 
sons are under obligation to renounce all the pomps of Satan, 
and therefore to abhor and abandon stage-plays, which have 
a principal part in the pomps of the Devil." For equally 
valid reasons, May-day was anathematized ; and when, in 
Charlestown, they thought of erecting a May-pole, Mr. Mather, 
in 1686, said, " It is an abominable shame, that any persons, 
in a land of such light and purity as New England has been, 
should have the face to speak or think of practising so vile a 
piece of heathenism." Dancing was dangerous because "the 
daughter of Herodias danced John the Baptist's head off." 
But Mr. Mather says, in 1685, that, within " the last year, 
promiscuous dancing was openly practised, and too much 



456 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

countenanced, in this town." He further says, "I can 
remember the time, when, for many years, not so much as 
one of these superstitious customs was known to be practised 
in this land. Ask such of the old standers if it were not so. 
Alas ! that so many of the present generation have so early 
corrupted their doings ! Methinks I hear the Lord speaking 
to New England as once to Israel : * I planted thee a noble 
vine, wholly a right seed. How art thou turned into the 
degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me ! ' " 

It is very clear, from these facts, that the minds of our 
fathers were magnetized by predilections which could not 
tolerate innovation. 

We would now descend to particulars and personalities, 
and speak minutely of some of the domestic customs of our 
ancestors. We will begin with — 

Dress. — The costume of our early settlers had the pecu- 
liarities of their day. There was then, as now, a rage for 
something new ; but the range in variety was very small. 
Nevertheless, female extravagance had gone so far, that an 
interdict of legislation was called for to arrest the destructive 
expenditures ; and, Sept. 3, 1634, the General Court said, — 

" The court hath ordered, that no person, either man or woman, 
shall hereafter make or buy any apparel, either woollen, silk, or 
linen, with any lace on it, silver, gold, silk, or thread, under the 
penalty of forfeiture of said clothes. Also all gold or silver girdles, 
hatbands, belts, ruffs, beaver-hats, are prohibited. Also immo- 
derate great sleeves, slashed apparel, immoderate great rayles, long 
wings, &c." 

It took only five years for the modistes of this centre of 
transatlantic fashion to change the forms so as to make 
another legislative interference necessary. Accordingly, on 
the 9th of September, 1639, the General Court forbade lace 
to be sold or used ; and they say, — 

" Hereafter, no garment shall be made with short sleeves, whereby 
the nakedness of the arm may be discovered in the wearing thereof; 
and, hereafter, no person whatsoever shall make any garment for 
women, or any of their sex, with sleeves more than half an ell wide 
in the widest place thereof; and so proportionable for bigger or 
smaller persons." 

In this forbidding of bare necks and naked arms (the 
very opposite of the dress a la sauvage), there was neither 
studied humility nor conspicuous poverty, but the recom- 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 457 

mendation of clothes typical of true Puritan ideas, — clothes 
that would not patronize coughs, consumptions, pride, or 
taxes. As the royal family and the nobility led the Eng- 
lish nation in habits of dress, they would not be so implicitly 
followed on this side of the water. As faithful disciples 
turn their faces to Jerusalem or Mecca, so modern fashionists 
turn their eyes to Paris ; for France is subjugating the world 
to millinery. Thus it was not with our Pilgrim ancestors. 
They dared to think for themselves ; and they dared to make 
laws asrainst the customs and costumes of their native land. 
The single fact that our Colonial Legislature took up the 
subject of dress, — female dress, too, — is a proof of their clear 
ideas and consistent characters. What body of men had ever 
before dared thus to legislate on such a subject ? It is very 
evident to us, therefore, what kind of dress the Medford 
ladies had not ; and we can conceive the dumb wonder and 
inexpressible blushing which the appearance of one of our 
expose celebrities would cause among them at an evening 
party. It is wonderful how the highest civilization brings 
us back to Eden! 

The common every-day dress of our ancestors was very 
plain, strong, and comfortable ; but their Sunday suits were 
expensive, elaborate, and ornamental. The men, in their 
Sunday attire, wore broad-brimmed hats, turned up into 
three corners, with loops at the side, showing full bush-wigs 
beneath them ; long coats, the very opposite of the swallow- 
tails, having large pocket-folds and cuffs, and without collars, 
the buttons either plated or of pure silver, and of the size of 
half a dollar ; vests, also without collars, but very long, hav- 
ing graceful pendulous lappet-pockets ; shirts, with bosom 
and wrist ruffles, and with gold and silver buckles at the 
wrist, united by a link; the neckcloths or scarfs of fine 
linen, or figured stuff, or embroidered, the ends hanging 
loosely. Small-clothes were in fashion, and only reached a 
little below the knees, where they were ornamented with sil- 
ver buckles of liberal size ; the legs were covered with gray 
stockings, and the feet with shoes, ornamented with straps 
and silver buckles ; boots were sometimes worn, having broad 
white tops ; gloves, on great occasions ; and mittens, in the 
winter. A gentleman, with his cocked-up hat and white 
bush-wig ; his chocolate-colored coat, buff vest, and small- 
clothes ; his brown stockings and black shoes ; his ruffles, 
buckles, and buttons, — presented an imposing figure, and 

58 



458 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

showed a man who would probably demean himself with 
dignity and intelligence. 

The best dress of the rich was very costly : The scarlet 
coat, wadded skirts, full sleeves, cuffs reaching to the elbows, 
wristbands fringed with lace ; embroidered bands, tassels, 
gold buttons ; vests fringed with lace ; and small-clothes with 
puffs, points, buckles, &c. ; a sword hanging by the side. 

The visiting-dress of the ladies was more costly, compli- 
cated, and ornamental than their husbands or brothers wore. 
But with them we have little to do in this brief notice, and 
therefore leave to others the description of their coiffures, 
which were so high as to bring their faces almost into the 
middle of their bodies ; their black silk and satin bonnets ; 
their gowns, so extremely long-waisted ; their tight sleeves, 
which were sometimes very short, with an immense frill at 
the elbow ; their spreading hoops and long trails ; their high- 
heeled shoes ; and their rich brocades, flounces, spangles, 
embroidered aprons, &c. Their dress on the sabbath was 
simple, secure, and modest : A cheap straw bonnet, with only 
one bow without, and no ornament but the face within ; a 
calico dress, of sober colors, high up in the neck, with a 
simple white muslin collar just peeping round the top ; 
a neat little shawl, and a stout pair of shoes, — these pre- 
sented to the eye the Puritan costume of our ancestral and 
pious mothers. They were happy, some may think, in being 
free from the more than royal tyranny of those modern mis- 
tresses of shears and needles, who distort and crucify nature 
to furnish that variety which caprice must have, and whose 
new fashions finally penetrate the abodes of our northern 
subterranean Esquimaux, and the huts of the South-Sea 
islanders. It is certainly to be hoped that these kaleidoscope 
changes of our day may do something for artistic beauty, and 
something for feeding the poor artisans ; and thus be some 
compensation for converting females into manikins to show 
off satins and embroideries. We look with anxiety for the 
time when old things shall become new ; when hoops and 
pattens, silk cloaks and top-knots, tunics and scarlet belts, 
sacks and ruffle cuffs, small-clothes and silver buckles, em- 
broidered vests and neck-ties, powdered hair and long cues, 
shall drive out the tiptoe modes of modern days, and reign 
again supreme. 

The best dwelling-houses of our Medford ancestors were 
two stories high in front, slanting off to one story in the rear. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 459 

There was one strong chimney in the centre of the building ; 
and the windows were glazed with diamond-glass. It was 
deemed of primary importance that the dwelling should face 
the south. A very few specimens of this style of architecture 
remain unaltered among us. 

The first houses of the farmers in this plantation were log- 
huts of one story, with thatched roof, having lofts inside, 
like our barns. The fireplaces were made of rough stones, 
and the upper half of the chimneys with short sticks, cross- 
ing each other, and plastered inside with clay. The houses 
always fronted the south, like sun-dials, so that the mid-day 
sun might " shine square." 

Let us look at a family thus conditioned. They have 
chosen a spot near the Mystic River, where the highest tides 
cannot annoy them ; and their house seems thrust into the 
thickest wood. No yard in front, no wall behind, no path, 
no gate, — all open as an unfenced forest : there seems not 
even an outlet into the civilized world. The young under- 
growth of wood is springing up beneath the windows ; the 
wild sumachs and blackberry vines are breaking into the cel- 
lar ; the sturdy pitch-pines are rubbing and crackling against 
the thatch-poles ; the golden-rod is intertwining itself among 
the white birch and dark hazel ; while a centenarian oak and 
a towering walnut stand near enough to promise shade and 
take the lightning. Here each member of the family in the 
log-hut can run up a pleasant acquaintance with a blooming 
beech-tree or a tapering cedar, with a graceful " dressed elm " 
or a glossy-leaved chestnut. 

" He who loves to hold communion with Nature's beauti- 
ful forms " will not need other society here. The wind 
labors and roars in the forest; the susurum murmurs its 
jEolian music through the pines ; the tide goes and comes like 
a faithful messenger ; and the sun, moon, and stars seem to 
belong to that little world. 

Add to all these the frolic and movements of animals. 
How social were they with the early comers ! European 
eyes, for the first time, could watch the racing of the Ameri- 
can weazel, that agile hunter of the woods ; the dodging of 
the gray squirrel in the nut-tree; the undisturbed meal 
of the woodchuck in the clover ; the patient labor of the bea- 
ver in building his house ; and the craft of the fox, as he 
barks in the moonlight to start his game. 

There was something to engage attention even in the 



460 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

waters. They had a morning, noon, and evening song ; for 
the little frogs would send forth their gentle peep through 
hours of darkness ; while great ones, at mid-day, would grum- 
ble out their hoarse password, and throw back their sentinel 
echoes round the shores of their Stygian pools. 

There is a vast and unaccountable friendliness in birds. 
They would take to men as companions, if men would only 
let them. Our ancestors in Medford were in a district which 
naturally collected birds from ocean and forest, from upland 
and meadow. At their doors, they had the useful cock and 
hen, the brilliant mallard-duck, and the sentinel white goose. 
At early dawn, those notes of chanticleer — calling upon 
every sleeper to rise, and take a draught of undiluted morn- 
ing air from the fountain of the day — those notes are so clear 
and powerful and strange that we should go a hundred miles 
to hear them, if the bird had never been domesticated. The 
inmates of the log-hut listen to this noble creature, speaking 
to them with the authority of a major-general on parade. 
They love this faithful bird, this once wild Indian pheasant ; 
and they cherish him with the affection of a friend. And is 
he not truly a wonderful bird ? "Wherever he is, he has ' 
good health, strong lungs, and spirits like a young lover. 
All climates agree with him ; and the poets of all times have 
sung his praises. Our fathers wisely guarded him and his 
family as a secret treasure. 

And was there ennui in the log-hut on the banks of the 
Mystic ? If so, the birds alone could have dissipated it. 
The oriole, the robin, and the thrush, the swallow, the hum- 
ming-bird, and the wren, were enough to put all despondency 
to flight. How could they be sad, who saw the sandpipers 
coming in flocks, and heard the plovers whistling on the 
hill ? How could they be sad, who could hear the blue-jay 
screaming in the thicket, or the kingfisher rattling by the 
river's side ? What human heart could despond, when it 
witnessed the lark soaring towards heaven in his spiral flight, 
as if to carry his prayer of faith to the very throne of mercy ? 

In every bird, there is something to please and to instruct 
man. In those unbroken solitudes of Nature, our forefathers 
had the privilege of witnessing the marvellous contrasts 
exhibited by the feathered tribes. With what wonder must 
they have watched the wild-goose, of which it may almost be 
said, that he breaks his fast at Baffin's Bay, takes his lunch 
in Medford Pond, and plumes himself at nightfall in a southern 



DAILY AND DOMESTIC HABITS. 461 

bayou ! How different from him the laughing-loon, catching 
minnows in the shallows of a creek ! Mark the majestic sail- 
ing of the eagle through the deep of air ; and contrast this 
with the bittern, driving his post in the meadow. Then there 
is the owl, Nature's watchman, waiting for the dawning of his 
day, which is sundown. Listen to his midnight love-note, 
which seems discord and sighs hooted at the moon ; and see 
him shoot through a tangled forest in the dark, as if every 
tree and twig made way for him ! And, last of all, give an ear 
to the whippoorwill, as he sings with clear and healthy note 
his matins and vespers. 

Group together all these joys and teachings of animated 
nature, each so friendly to man, and all so abundant and so 
lofty, and how could the witnesses of them be weary or sor- 
rowful ? We believe they were not ; but, on the contrary, 
they joined the general chorus with loving and devoted hearts, 
making the whole earth an altar of thanksgiving, and the 
whole heavens the witness of their joy. 



DAILY AND DOMESTIC HABITS. 

We may get the truest ideas of these by watching, through 
two days, all the plans and movements of that family in the 
log-hut on the banks of the Mystic. We will take Satur- 
day and Sunday. Let us look closely. The father is a 
strong man of forty -six, with a true Puritan heart ; and his 
wife is seven years his junior, with good health and without 
anxiety. Their first child is a son, eighteen years old ; the 
next is a daughter of sixteen ; then come three boys, their 
ages fourteen, eleven, and eight ; and the youngest child is a 
daughter, aged six. Of hired men or women, they had none. 
Extra help came from what they called "change work." 

Let us first mark the cares and labors of the farmer and his 
boys. Saturday was a busy day with them ; although one 
day's or one year's experience was almost exactly like 
another's. 

To rise early was not considered worthy of any remark ; 
while not rising early would have been deemed a crime. To 
be up before daylight was a matter of course with every 
family. The father was expected to move first ; to strike a 
light with flint and steel ; to kindle a fire under the kettle in 
which the water for the porridge was to be boiled. This done, 



462 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

f 

he calls the boys, who soon appear, and after them the 
mother and daughter. One wooden wash-basin, in the sink, 
served each in turn for morning ablutions ; and one roller 
sufficed for wiping all faces. Their dress is suited to their 
work. The father wears an old cocked-up hat, or a thick 
cotton cap ; no cravat, but a low shirt-collar ; a short frock of 
strongest warp ; a pair of old leather breeches ; and leggins, 
which were confined above the knee, and tied over the shoe 
with a string round the middle of the foot. The boys had 
cotton caps on their heads, or the remnants of old felt-hats ; 
short jackets, of the coarsest fabric ; leather breeches, and leg- 
gins. By earliest dawn, the father and his three eldest sons 
are in the cow-yard, milking. This over, the youngest son 
drives the cows to pasture, and hastens back to the next duties. 
The hogs have received their allowance of buttermilk. The 
morning's milk has been strained and set for cream, or heated 
to begin a cheese. Then come the reading of the Sacred 
Scriptures and the family prayers. Immediately afterwards 
follows the breakfast, which in winter is by candle-light, and 
in summer by dawn-light. The breakfast, commenced by 
" asking a blessing " and closed by (t returning thanks," con- 
sists of pea-porridge, dealt out, before sitting down, in small 
wooden bowls. A small central dish has in it some salted 
shad and smoked alewives ; or peradventure some fresh eels, 
which the boys caught from the river the evening before. 
With these, brown bread and beer are served ; and here end- 
ed the usual variety. Sometimes the children were regaled 
with samp and milk, and the father with boiled salt pork. 
From the breakfast-table, the father and sons repair to the 
field, and are at work by six o'clock. With their tools, they 
have taken the family-gun, not so much from fear of Indians, 
as the hope of securing some valuable game. Sometimes a 
fine deer crosses their field, on his way to the river ; and, if 
they are so fortunate as to take him, it makes a feast-week at 
home ; for every part is eaten. Salted and smoked, it was 
deemed a very savory dish. By half-past eight o'clock, our 
laborers in the field are ready for the usual lunch, which con- 
sists of smoked shad, bread and cheese, and cider. Thus 
sustained till a quarter before twelve, they hear the dinner- 
horn announcing — what the boys had been expecting with im- 
patience — dinner. All hands break off and start for home, 
and are ready to sit down at the table just as the sun is 
square on the window-ledge, and the sand in the hour-glass 



DAILY AND DOMESTIC HABITS. 463 

is out. A blessing craved, they begin with the Indian pud- 
ding, and relish it with a little molasses. Next come a piece 
of broiled salt pork, or black broth, fried eggs, brown bread, 
cabbage, and cider. They denominated their dinner " boiled 
victuals ;" and their plates, "wooden trenchers." Potatoes 
did not come into use till 1733 ; tea and coffee, till 1700. 
Turnips, carrots, and parsnips were cultivated. Dinner de- 
spatched in fifteen minutes, the time till one o'clock was called 
"nooning," when each laborer was free to sleep or play. 
Nooning over, they repair to the fields, and find that a fox or 
wolf has killed a sheep, and eaten his dinner. The father 
takes his gun and hastens in search, telling the boys " to keep 
at their work, and, if they see the fox, to whistle with all 
their might." The fox, that took great pains to be there 
when the owner was away, now takes great pains to be away 
when the owner is there. A drink of good beer all round, 
at three o'clock, is the only relief in the afternoon's toil, 
which ends at five ; at which hour the youngest son drives 
home the cows, and the milking is finished at six. The hogs 
and sheep are now called to their enclosures near the barn, 
where the faithful dog will guard them from their night- 
prowling enemies. All things being safe, supper is ready. 
The father takes a slice of cold broiled pork, the usual brown 
bread, and a mug of beer, while the boys are regaled with 
milk porridge or hasty-pudding. In their season, they had 
water-melons and musk-melons ; and, for extra occasions, a 
little cherry wine. Sometimes they had boiled Indian corn, 
mixed with kidney-beans. • Into bean and pea porridge they 
put a slice of salted venison. They had also succatash, 
which is corn and beans boiled together. The meat of the 
shag-bark was dried and pounded, and then put into their 
porridge to thicken it. The barley fire-cake was served at 
breakfast. They parched corn, and pounded it, and made it 
into a nokake. Baked pumpkins were common. The extra 
dish, for company, was a cake made of strawberries and 
parched corn. The same religious exercises as were offered 
at dinner are now repeated. At seven o'clock a neighbor 
calls, not to ask the news, for there is none, but to propose a 
change of work for next Tuesday. This is agreed to ; and, 
as our ancestors made up in hearty welcome what they wanted 
in luxuries, a mug of cider is drunk, by way of entertainment ; 
and half-past seven finds the neighbor gone, and the house- 
hold ready for family prayers. The Scriptures are read in 



464 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

turn, — the Old Testament in the morning, and the New at 
night. Eight o'clock records the entire family in bed, except 
one of the boys, who has an inquisitive mind, and has bor- 
rowed a book on witchcraft ; and he is allowed to sit up till 
nine, and read by the light of a pitch-pine knot, stuck into a 
hole in the chimney-corner. 

This simple round of needful duties must be daily repeated 
through the six months of warm weather, and a yet more 
simple routine for the remainder of the year. 

Now let us see how the mother and daughters get through 
that Saturday in the log-hut on the banks of the Mystic. 
Their house — which had two covered rooms below, a 
kitchen that went up to the roof, and two lofts as attic cham- 
bers — required very little care ; and the beds could be made 
in an incredibly short time. The first duty of the morning 
was cooking the breakfast ; and, after the water was boiling, 
it needed but thirty minutes to complete the process. The 
daughter sat the table, whose furniture consisted of wooden 
plates, pewter spoons, two knives and forks, the father's dish 
of smoked shad, the boys' bowls of pea-porridge, a plate of 
brown bread, and a mug of cider. To wash up and clear off 
the whole, after breakfast, needed but fifteen minutes of brisk 
application by the two daughters. The lunch prepared for 
the men has gone with them to the field ; and now the cheese 
must be made, and it must be made with care. This takes till 
eight o'clock ; and hard work it is, — the " turning " of the 
cheeses harder still. Saturday is baking-day ; and the three 
females are busy in preparing for the event. The oven had its 
opening on the outside of the house, behind the chimney, and 
was double the size of modern ones. One brings wood to heat 
the oven ; another gets the Indian meal and rye ; a third brings 
a pail of water. Here are beans to be picked over, pork to be 
cut, and dough to be kneaded. The kitchen is busy ; all hands 
are at work ; and the baking for seven days cannot be pre- 
pared in less than three hours. Eleven o'clock has unex- 
pectedly come, and it demands that dinner should be thought 
of; and all other business is supended to provide for that. 
At the fixed moment, the elder daughter blows the horn ; 
and the laborers from the field are anon at their dinner. No 
washing up of dinner-things to-day till after the batch is set in. 
The oven is soon cleared of fire, swept, and dusted ; and 
then go into the hottest part the large oval lumps of brown- 
bread dough, because they require the strongest heat. Next 



DAILY AND DOMESTIC HABITS. 465 

comes the huge stone pot of beans, with its top covered by a 
thick slice of pork ; and beside it the Indian pudding, in 
a broad, deep, earthen bowl. The oven's mouth is stopped 
with a piece of plank, and the crevices are plastered up with 
clay. Two o'clock witnesses all things in trim order ; and 
the mother is ready to do a little weaving, the elder daughter 
a little mending, and the child steals out for a little play with 
her pet lamb. A female neighbor has just come through the 
woods to invite her friends to a "quilting," which is to 
begin at one o'clock next Wednesday. The joy of such an 
event makes the bright eyes of the daughter laugh at every 
corner. The whole heavens, to her, are now spangled with 
rainbows. To refuse such an invitation is unheard of. The 
visitor has left ; and the girl of sixteen is plying her mother 
with questions about who will be at the quilting, not daring 
to ask about one whom she most hopes may drop in during 
the evening. So engrossed have become the minds of the 
mother and daughter, that they have half forgotten that sup- 
per must be had. They now hasten to their work, and have 
all things ready in due season. As soon as the brothers enter 
the house, the sister announces the great quilting-party ; and 
the fond father smiles at the exuberant joy of that darling 
creature, who is just budding into womanhood. Earlier 
than usual is all labor and worldly care to cease ; for it is 
Saturday night. The sabbath is at hand ; and therefore they 
would shake off the dust of earth from their sandals, and pre- 
pare their hearts for that day which God has prepared for 
them. Every thing is ready. The sun goes down ; and their 
sabbath has begun. The family soon gather about their do- 
mestic altar ; and the pious father reads the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, and then offers his Saturday-evening prayer. It is not 
long before the weary inmates of that house begin to think 
of rest. The weekly ablutions, required on this evening, are 
gone through by all the younger members of the circle; 
after which they all retire, — the father to count up the gains 
of the week, the mother to plan for the good of her children, 
the boys to travel in the land of nod, and the daughter to 
guess whom she will meet at the quilting. 

Here let us say a word about the mother's duties, which 
were as important, and oftentimes more onerous, than the 
father's. Sick or well, the cooking and washing must be 
done ; and " hired help " could not be had. Moreover, the 
butter and cheese must be made, the cloth must be woven, 

59 



I 



466 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

the stockings must be knit, and the weekly mending must 
be done. To clothe and feed the several laborers, and then 
to receive and take care of many products of the farm, 
belonged to the mother and daughter. The toil of the females 
was as unremitted as the alternation of morning and even- 
ing ; and no day in the year could bring them a vacation. 
How much may be said of the part that woman played, or 
rather worked, in the grand drama of our first settlements ! 
What would our Pilgrim Fathers have been without our Pil- 
grim Mothers ? Shaggy barbarians of the woods. Woman 
dared to follow where man dared to lead ; and she brought 
with her the humanizing amenities of social life, and the 
sanctifying power of true religion. She came to this wilder- 
ness with a brave heart and a Christian faith, that she might 
share the perils and brighten the hopes of her husband ; and, 
when here, " she looked well to the ways of her household, 
and ate not the bread of idleness." Man may be said to have 
the calloused hand, the sinewy arm, and the lion soul ; but 
did it not require some courage in the mother to stay at home 
all day alone in the log-hut, when the bears and wolves and 
Indians might be nearer to her than her protector? The 
patient moral force of Christian woman cannot be over-stated ; 
and our Pilgrim Mothers have never been over-praised. 
Their coming here emancipated them. Escaping from the 
duress of semi-feudal caste in Europe, they sprang upward 
to their natural place, — the equal and companion of man. 
Nowhere had the like of this been seen in the world before ; 
and nowhere else is now to be seen this new type of woman. 
These missionaries of Heaven's love shaped the character and 
the happy and holy homes of New England ; and these homes 
were the primal causes of our country's intelligence and vir- 
tue, which, in their turn, became the causes of our present 
prosperity and ultimate independence. A man honors him- 
self when he honors his mother, — a mother who lived on 
earth as if she were living in heaven, — that mother 

" Whom God created in a smile of grace, 
And left the smile that made her in her face." 

We have seen how the farmer's family, in the log-hut on 
the banks of the Mystic, passed their Saturday : let us now 
see what they do on the following Sunday. The only manual 
labor allowed was that of imperious necessity: any thing 
further was thought to violate the jealous sanctity of the 



DAILY AND DOMESTIC HABITS. 467 

day. The iron strictness with which Sunday must be kept, 
made every Puritan look on that occasion as if two fast-days 
had met in one. The hour of rising was remarkably late ; 
and nothing like hurry was seen in the house. Nature found 
a relief in this. When the milking was over, and "the 
chores done," the quiet breakfast gathers the sober family 
around the table, where the usual provisions are spread, and 
where, at the end of the meal, the mother surprises her sons 
with a fresh-baked apple-pie, smoking from a two-quart 
earthen dish. This argument, addressed to the stomach, the 
children readily comprehend ; and each one takes his slice in 
his hand, and, without winking, proceeds to business. Break- 
fast being finished, the morning worship is now to be offered. 
The father takes the family Bible ; calls his little daughter to 
look over him as he reads ; and then, in slow and reverent 
tone, reads two or three chapters from the New Testament. 
Careful not to kneel and not to sit, the family all stand^ up 
while the father, in extemporaneous prayer, thanks the Giver 
of every good for his bounties, confesses his sins with hu- 
mility and penitence, asks for pardon through a divine Re- 
deemer, supplicates for the new heart and new life of the 
gospel, and prays for the heavenly guidance. In these gene- 
ral expressions, he does not forget to thank God especially 
for the religious freedom enjoyed in America, and to implore 
that Popery, Episcopacy, and all other heresies, may be for 
ever kept out of his true church here. There is now an 
hour before it will be necessary to start for meeting ; and 
this hour is occupied by the children in committing to me- 
mory a few verses from the Bible, or a hymn from Sternhold 
and Hopkins, or a page from the Catechism. The mother 
spends the hour in teaching her little daughter some Chris- 
tian history, or telling her the story of Joseph from the Old 
Testament. The father hears the other children say their 
lessons, and acts as the superintendent of this first and best 
of Sunday schools. The hour has now arrived for the whole 
family to leave for the meeting-house ; and, whether it be in 
this plantation or the next, there is no apology available for 
absence from public worship. God's command, and the 
penalties of the statute-law, decide this case without equivoca- 
tion. If the weather be fair, the children walk, be the dis- 
tance one mile or three. Each one is dressed in the full 
Sunday attire, and feels it of paramount importance not to 
tear or soil it. They all keep together. The father mounts 



468 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

his horse, and then takes his wife upon a pillion behind him. 
If it be rainy, the oxen are hitched to the cart, and chairs 
and logs make seats within it ; and thus the family go together. 
If the father be one of the appointed " watchers," then he 
must take his gun and ammunition, and be ready to repel any 
savage attack. Public worship began at eleven o'clock ; and 
the morning service was a glass and a half long ; that is, it 
ended at half-past twelve. The half-hour of intermission 
was spent in and around the meeting-house ; and friends met 
there that could not get within speaking distance at any other 
time. The young folks were apt to huddle up together, and 
did not always talk about religion. The services of the after- 
noon were concluded at half-past two ; and our family on the 
banks of the Mystic have reached home in one hour after- 
wards. The pillion, for safe keeping, is put under the bed, 
the saddle hung up in the barn, and the horse turned out to 
pasture. The family are now ready for a meal, which unites 
dinner and supper ; and forth from the oven come that pot of 
beans with its coronal pork, and that Indian pudding, all per- 
fectly done, having been in prison about twenty-four hours. 
Grace being said, the pudding is the first dish ; and it is a 
delicious dish too. The color of the pudding is a deep, rich 
amber ; and the juice or jelly is abundant. Hunger is the 
best sauce ; but it does not need that to make this sa- 
vory. Two plates-full apiece scarcely satisfy the young folks. 
The beans come next; and this strong and hearty food is 
eaten with a relish ; though it will taste better to-morrow, 
when no pudding precedes it. When the dinner seems to 
be over, the mother opens the table-drawer; and lo ! a nice 
apple-pie ! Appetite comes again at the sight of new deli- 
cacies ; and it takes no logic to convince the children that a 
slice of that pie will do them good. During the dinner, they 
have talked about those they saw at meeting, and each nar- 
rated what news he had found. The father had heard how 
much money was sunk by Mr. Cradock in his fishing specu- 
lation ; and the reading boy had brought home " J. Janeway's 
Address to Citizens of London, after the Great Fire of 1666," 
just published. The first act after Sunday dinner was to 
take off the Sunday clothes. Each one does this ; and then 
the mother assembles her children around her, each seated on 
his block ; and she hears them repeat the Catechism, and then 
endeavors to impress their minds with the truths which the 
sermpns of the day have set forth. During this last exercise, 



DAILY AND DOMESTIC HABITS. 469 

the youngest daughter has fallen asleep, the youngest boy 
has tried to catch flies, and the rest of her audience have 
paid some heed. It is now time to close the religious exer- 
cises of the Sabbath by reading the Sacred Scriptures and 
joining in family prayer. This service has the truth and fer- 
vor of humble worshippers. Piety and love are laid on the 
altar ; and the concluding Amen testifies to a sabbath spent in 
the fear of God and the love of man. The father and sons 
now repair to the barn, and the milking is soon finished. By 
this time the sun has set ; and, as if conscience had set with 
it, any secular pursuit now seems half allowable. The wood 
for to-morrow's washing is carried in ; the great kettle is 
filled with water ; the kindlings are put in the corner ; and 
every thing is ready for the earliest start. The mother and 
daughters, who have not dared to wash the breakfast or din- 
ner things while the sun was up, now begin that operation ; 
and then get all the clothes together which must be washed, 
and put them in soak. The great kettle is now hung on ; 
and it almost seems as if Monday morning had arrived. 
The eldest son knows it has not, and knows there is a Sun- 
day evening yet to come ; and, full of silent thoughts and 
tender emotions, he slips out, in full dress, at seven o'clock, 
to " drop in " accidentally at neighbor A.'s, whose blooming 
daughter of seventeen he likes to look at. If he can get her 
to go and help him sing at Mr. B.'s for an hour with some 
of the Sunday choir, why, then what ? Any visiting on Sun- 
day evening, except for courting or practising singing by the 
choir, being positively forbidden, it somehow always hap- 
pened that the choir would meet on Sunday evening ; and 
there was sure to be a remarkably full attendance ! Thus 
the " singing-school " was the Newport and Saratoga of 
Meadford. Recreation of some sort every human being must 
have, if he would thrive. He claims it as Nature's law. Our 
Puritan Fathers needed recreation to lubricate the joints of 
life. While they have been singing at Mr. B.'s, the log-hut 
on the banks of the Mystic has not been without its music. 
The parents have led, and the children followed, in some of 
the good old psalm-tunes which have come down from for- 
mer generations. At half-past eight o'clock, the candle is put 
out ; and the day of worship and rest has ended to the farm- 
er's family, — except to the eldest son, who, at half-past 
nine, opens that door which is never fastened, and quietly 
steals to bed without disturbing the sleepers. His mother 
heard him, but did not speak. 



470 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

We are sure this is but a rough sketch of the manners and 
life of the early settlers in Medford; but we hope it may 
suffice to show those salient traits of industry and economy, 
of truthfulness and devotion, for which they were so clearly 
distinguished. We must look through their eyes to see them 
aright. They were content if they could gain a comfortable 
subsistence, and have the opportunity of worshipping God 
according to the dictates of their own consciences. Their 
condition, their dwellings, their dress, their facilities, their 
relationships, — how different from ours! Deputy-Governor 
Dudley, March 1£, 1631, writes thus : t( Having yet no table, 
nor other room to write in than by the fireside, upon my 
knee, in this sharp winter, &c." If the deputy-governor 
had no more accommodations than these, what must have 
been the deprivations of the rest of the people ? For many 
of our modern superfluities they had no names in their voca- 
bulary. So late as our day, we have seen aged persons who 
have assured us that they never tasted tea or coffee until 
they were over twenty-one years of age. In 1666, tea, in 
England, was sixty shillings sterling a pound, and was not 
used much in America till 1750. It was nearly the same 
with coffee. Any cooking which required sugar was too 
expensive for our early ancestors ; and the Sunday suit of 
clothes went through a whole life. For vocal music, they had 
the volunteer solo from the cradle ; for instrumental, they had 
the sputter of the churn, the scraping of the wool-cards, the 
whiz of the spinning-wheel, and the jerk-rattle of the weav- 
ing-loom. Their sofa was the " settle," and their spring- 
seat was the soft side of an oaken plank ; their carpets were 
clean white sand ; their ceilings, rough boards and rafters ; 
and their parlor was at once kitchen, bedroom, and hall. 
We have seen what their clothing was ; and it was the pro- 
duct of their own looms and knitting-needles. The men 
were not encumbered with suspenders, or dickies, or umbrel- 
las ; nor were the women sighing after diamonds, opera- 
glasses, or Cologne water. How expensive, vexatious, and 
useless would have been long female dresses bedraggled every 
moment in the grass ! Fashion, which is the labor of little 
minds, and not the repose of great ones, had not become the 
fickle tyrant we now see it. They aimed at health ; and the 
children who were born weak and feeble could not be kept 
alive, as they are by modern skill : hence the robustness of 
those who survived. We come, then, to the conclusion, that 
moderate labor, simple diet, sufficient sleep, regular habits, and 



FIRE-DEPARTMENT. 471 

mental peace, each helped to prolong life and secure content- 
ment. Yes, we say contentment ; for, if any one should think 
these humble annals descriptive only of ennui or thraldom or 
stupidity, we must call it a hasty and false conclusion. "When 
the human mind really desires improvement, it converts 
rocks and trees, animals and men, trials and joys, into books 
of philosophy and bibles of truth. By a chemistry which it 
cannot explain, the hungry and thirsty soul turns every thing 
into educational meaning and moral nutriment. All that is 
thus gained are reliable facts and available knowledge, which 
will stand the test of life and experience, while rainbow 
theories fade and vanish with the dissolving cloud. Our 
fathers had strong common sense ; and, while they were 
devoted to a Puritan faith and an exclusive church, they did 
not lose their humanity ; but the very necessities of their 
condition brought them to the most practical results, and to 
the soundest philosophy of life. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



FIRE-DEPARTMENT. 

The first action of the town relating to fires was May IS, 
1760, when it was voted that two fire-hooks be provided for 
the use of the town. 

March 7, 1763: Voted to raise £26. 13s. 4d. for procuring 
a fire-engine, if the rest can be obtained by subscription. 
Hon. Isaac Royal, Stephen Hall, Esq., and Captain Seth 
Blodget, were chosen a committee to procure the engine and 
receive the subscriptions. 

This resulted in the purchase of an engine called the 
" Grasshopper," which was placed near the market. This 
engine was removed to the West End, April 1, 1799 (when 
another had been obtained), and was kept in the barn attached 
to the " Angier House." It is yet in existence, and is some- 
times employed in pumping water into vessels. 

March 11, 1765: For the first time, nine fire-wards and 
twelve engine-men were appointed by vote of the town; 



472 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

In 1785, some gentlemen associated themselves under 
the name of the "Medford Amicable Fire Society," with 
the motto, Amicis nobisque. Twenty-four members only 
were allowed ; and they solemnly engage to govern them- 
selves by the nine " regulations " which they adopted. These 
regulations embrace all the common provisions for choice of 
officers and transaction of business which such an association 
would require. The third provides that " each member 
shall keep constantly in good order, hanging up in some 
convenient place in his dwelling-house, two leather buckets, 
of convenient size, in which shall be two bags and one screw- 
key, each bag measuring one yard and three-quarters in 
length, and three-quarters of a yard in breadth. If the bags 
or buckets of any member be out of place at any quarterly 
inspection, he shall pay a fine of twenty-five cents for each 
article so out of place. 

" At the alarm of fire, each member shall immediately 
repair, with his bags, buckets, &c, to the place where it hap- 
pens ; and, if the house or property of any member be in 
danger, every member shall resort thither, and use his utmost 
endeavors, under the direction of the member in danger, if 
present, otherwise according to his own judgment, to secure 
all his goods and effects, under penalty of what the society 
may determine. And if there shall not be any property of 
a member in danger, then each member, at the request of 
any other person in immediate danger, will consider himself 
obliged to assist such person in the same manner as though 
such person belonged to the society." 

Candidates for admission must be proposed three months 
before election ; and three votes in the negative prevent 
membership. The second line in the first article of regula- 
tions reads thus : " The members shall dine together on the 
first Wednesday in August annually." 

"When engines were few, and their hose were short, this 
society rendered most important service ; and, as their chief 
aim was to rescue furniture, they were sometimes able to save 
nearly all by their concentrated and harmonious action. The 
introduction of better engines and systematic procedure at 
fires has rendered the society so little needed that it has 
almost lost its existence. 

Sept. 19, 1796 : Voted to procure a new engine. 

These engines served the purposes of the town till a late 
period. The firemen were selected from the most reliable 



FIRE-DEPATtTMENT. 473 

and energetic of all the citizens ; and, once a month, each 
engine was examined and played. 

March 3 1828 : " Voted that the selectmen be a committee 
to examine' and consider the necessity of procuring a new 
engine for the west part of the town." 

1828 • The first record of the organization of a new engine- 
company. 1831, the town voted to give a supper each year 
to the firemen. Nov. 14, 1836 : Voted to purchase a new 

engine. _ . „ 

Nov. 9, 1835 : The town voted that the fire-engines may 
be employed to water ships, and that proper compensation be 
required therefor. ., f 

March 6, 1837 : At this time there was a general call tor 
a more extended and efficient defence against fire; and the 
town voted that it approves of the Revised Statutes, sections 

19—^1 

1839 : The town voted to petition the Legislature for an 
act of incorporation for their fire-department. This petition 
suggests to the Legislature the importance of considering the 
whole subject; and accordingly they reconstruct the laws; 
and, on the 9th of April, the present law was passed. Ine 
next day, they authorized the town of Medford to organize a 
fire-department, according to their petition. The form run^ 
thus : — 

« An Act to establish a Fire-department in the Town of Medford. 
« Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in 
General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as fol- 

^The" selectmen of the town of Medford are hereby authorized 
to establish a fire-department in said town, in the manner and 
according.to the provisions, prescribed in an act to regulate fire 
departments, passed on the 9th of April, 1889 ; and the said fire- 
department/when so established, and the several: ambers thereof, 
and all the officers and companies appointed by them, and the said 
town of Medford, and the inhabitants thereof, shall be subject to all 
hi duties and liabilities, and be entitled to all the privileges and 
exemptions, specified in said.act, so far as the same relate to them 
, respectively." April 10, 1839. 

The ninth section provides that the act establishing the 
fire-department « shall not take effect until it is accepted and 
atmroved by the inhabitants of the town." It was approved 
by the town, and the present fire-department organized in due 

form. 

60 



474 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

March 7, 1842 : The chief engineer made his first annual 
report. 

Large cisterns, sunk in the ground in various parts of the 
town, are filled with water, to be used only in case of fire. 
These reservoirs were ordered by a vote of the town, Nov. 6, 
1850. 

Every provision of hose, fire-hooks, ladders, &c, which the 
department required, was made by the town. 

In 1840 was published a pamphlet, entitled " State Laws 
and Town Ordinances respecting the Fire Department of the 
Town of Medford." It contained the act of the General 
Court of April 9, 1839 ; also the act of April 17, 1337, " to 
prevent bonfires, and false alarms of fire ; " also " extracts 
from the Revised Statutes, chapter 18 ; also " an ordinance 
for preventing and extinguishing fires, and establishing a 
fire-department in the town of Medford, — passed by the 
board of engineers, April 25, 1840 ; " also further " extracts 
from the Revised Statutes, chapter 58." " Approved by the 
town, April 29, 1840." 

The ordinance passed by the board of engineers had, and 
still has, the approval of every intelligent and virtuous citizen 
in Medford. A brief extract is as follows : — 

Fines for carrying fire openly in the streets, from two dollars to 
twenty dollars ; for allowing to remain any defective chimney, 
deposit of ashes, &c, five dollars to twenty dollars ; chimney set on 
fire at improper times, two dollars. Engineers shall remove com- 
bustible materials where dangerously placed ; the engineers shall 
choose a chief engineer and officers, control the engines, and make 
all due regulations ; engineers shall repair to the place of fire imme- 
diately, and take all the steps necessary to extinguish the fire and 
secure property. There shall be hook, ladder, hose, sail, and engine 
carriages. The chief engineer shall have full command, and make 
an annual report to the town. No one shall be a member of the 
fire-department under eighteen years of age ; nor under twenty -one, 
unless by request of parents. First Tuesday of May, each company 
shall choose officers. Duties of several officers specified. Engines, 
after a fire, shall be cleaned ; and, once in two months, the compa- 
nies exercised. Duties of firemen, to protect life and save property. 
Badges to be worn. Disobedient members dismissed. Duties of 
citizens who are present at a fire. Officers of a company may be 
discharged. When buildings, not on fire, shall be demolished. 
The ordinance closes with the following twenty-first section : " The 
members of the several companies shall not assemble in the houses 
intrusted to their care, except for the purpose of taking the engine 
or apparatus on the alarm of fire, or for drill and exercise, and of 



FIRE-DEPARTMENT. 475 

returning the same to the house, and taking the necessary care 
of said apparatus after its return." 

The wisdom of Medford in this twenty-first section is 
most apparent, and has doubtless prevented the intemperance 
and moral ruin which have elsewhere been deplored. Some 
towns have provided their engine-men with a furnished hall, 
lighted and warmed every evening. This plan, which was 
designed for good, has, in some cases, produced the most 
fatal results. It has brought together numbers of young 
men, who have not had a proper early education, and whose 
passions naturally lead them to excess. Some of these towns 
have allowed these engine-men a supper, at the town's 
expense, whenever they have been on duty at a fire. It has 
been said that some thoughtless young engine-men have 
rejoiced at the occurrence of a fire, because it secured to them 
this public supper ,• and newspapers have gone so far as to 
affirm that fires have been actually kindled by unprincipled 
firemen, for the purpose of having a supper afterwards ! 
Common humanity leads us to hope that such statements are 
not true. Can it be that any human mind is so sunk to the 
level of a brute, so polluted in moral debasement, and so lost 
to all feeling and all justice, as to be guilty of one of the 
most atrocious crimes, merely to get a supper ? If there be 
one such member of any fire-company in this Commonwealth, 
the sooner he is transferred to the State Prison, the better for 
him and for the community. It would be compassion to 
stop him in his road to ruin, and to put him where his pas- 
sions can be quieted, and where he could have leisure to 
see himself as God sees him. 

The existence of fire-departments in our wooden cities and 
towns is indispensable ; but we think they have not been 
wisely organized or properly sustained. They should be 
considered as insurance-offices, and supported by a premium- 
tax on all property. All the officers, without exception, 
should be chosen by the selectmen, and be paid propor- 
tionably, as are officers of fire-insurance companies ; and, 
like such officers, should be laid under bonds. Each fireman 
should be appointed by the selectmen, and so paid as to 
secure the strongest and best principled men. Their connec- 
tion with the fire-department should be a mark of respectabi- 
lity, and a proof of good character. Their prompt attendance 
on the alarm of fire should be rewarded by distinction, and 
their unnecessary absence be punished by the heaviest fines. 



476 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



There should be no lounging-rooms and no public suppers 
furnished them ; but all the motives should be so arranged, 
that each fireman would hear the alarm-bell only with sor- 
row. A department thus organized would bear just propor- 
tion to the vast interests at stake ; it would be the cheapest 
in the end ; and it would allow every citizen to go to rest 
at night without troublesome suspicions. 

If each town should resolve itself into a mutual fire-insurance 
company, and make each building pay annually its propor- 
tionate premium towards a cumulative fund, it might secure 
that general and positive interest in the fire-department which 
it so much needs. 

We have great pleasure in learning that the fire-department 
of Medford is furnished with officers of reliable character, 
of good judgment, and prompt energy ; and with firemen who 
have in times past done honor to themselves ; who will, in 
times to come, show themselves equal to the severest emer- 
gencies, and continue to deserve the grateful esteem of their 
fellow-citizens. 

Expenses of the fire-department, from Feb. 15, 1854, to 
Feb. 15, 1855, $2,046.04. 

The engines in use at the present time are : — 



Names. 


Places. 


When bought. 


Builders. ■> 


Cost. 


Governor Brooks, No. 1 
General Jackson, No. 2 
Washington, . . . No. 3 


Union St. 
High St. 
Park St. 


March, 1840 

, 1845 

May 31, 1850 


Hunneman & Co. 
Hunneman & Co. 
Hunneman & Co. 


$1007 

800 

1100 



The number of men attached to each engine averages 
about forty-five. The salary of each officer and fireman per 
annum is six dollars, and poll-tax refunded. The hook-and- 
ladder apparatus has twenty-five men attached to it. 

March 7, 1847 : The town voted to pay each fireman five 
dollars per annum. 

During 1854, the department was called out nine times 
to fires in town; the loss of property estimated at $17,500. 



SOCIETIES. 



The strong tendency among us for consociated action makes 
it easy to form societies for special objects. Medford has its 



4-77 

SOCIETIES. * ' ' 



full share ; and they are sometimes general, sometimes local, 
and sometimes confined to parish limits. Sewing-circles, 
charitable associations, literary unions, religious brotherhoods, 
and such like, are silent yet powerful agencies for the grati- 
fication of the social instincts, for the acquisition of know- 
ledge, the cultivation of taste, the improvement of manners, 
and the progress of religion ; but especially for relieving the 
necessitous, comforting the sick, and providing for the young. 
The Order of the Sons of Temperance. — Mystic Division 
No. 20, of Massachusetts. This branch of a widely extended 
and benevolent fraternity was organized Oct. 5, 185d, and 
already numbers over thirty members. The first office, or 
W. P., has a new occupant every three months, lhe gentle- 
men who have held it are S. D. Poole, J. M. Usher, Benja- 
min H. Samson, William A. Sanborn, John Brown, and 
Richard G. Pinkham. A public installation of officers was 
had in the Town Hall, April 11, 1854, when delegations 
from other branches were present ; and a supper afterwards 
made members and friends of both sexes happy. Jfidehs 

ad urnam. , A m , _- 

Mount Hermon Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. — 
Last year, a few Freemasons, who were wont to attend the 
meetings of Hiram Lodge, West Cambridge, determined to 
establish a lodge in Medford, so that they might enjoy the 
pleasures of Masonry nearer home. Hearing of their deter- 
mination, others of their brethren in Medford united with 
them in petitioning the Grand Lodge of the State to grant 
them the requisite authority for assembling as a legal lodge. 
A dispensation was granted; and, the proper time of proba- 
tion having nearly elapsed, they will soon (in September, 
1855) receive a charter, which will confirm them in the rights 
and privileges of a regularly constituted lodge The original 
petitioners were Messrs. George Hervey John T. White, 
E G Currell, C. E. Merrill, Cleopas B. Johnson, William 
Crook, "Dr. Samuel Kidder, A. H. Gardner, Elislm Stetson, 
James Ford, and T. R. Peck. The lodge is now in a flou- 
rishing condition, and has every prospect of further success 
and extended usefulness under its efficient organization, 
which is as follows : — 



Worshipful George Hervey, Master. 
Elisha Stetson, Senior Warden. 
E. G. Currell, Junior Warden. 
C. B. Johnson, Senior Deacon. 
C. E. Merrill, Junior Deacon. 



Hiram Southworth, Treasurer. 
S. C. Lawrence, Secretary. 
Lewis Keen, Senior Steward. 
S. W. Sanborn, Junior Steward. 
James Ford, Tyler. 



478 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Medford Salt-marsh Corporation. — June 21, 1803 : On 
this day, an act of incorporation was passed by the General 
Court, by which the proprietors of a tract of salt marsh, in 
Medford, were authorized to make and maintain a dike and 
fence for the better security and improvement of said marsh. 
Its bounds are thus described : — 

" Situate in the easterly part of said Medford, beginning at Mai- 
den line, and running westerly by the land of Andrew Hall, Joseph 
"Wheelwright, and Simeon Holt, to the brick landing-place on 
Mystic River, and otherways bounded by said river, comprising all 
the marsh within said bounds. And the said corporation shall have 
power to erect and make a dike, of sufficient height and width, on 
the north bounds of said marsh, beginning at Maiden line, and run- 
ning westward by the land of said Andrew Hall and others, so far 
as a dike may be found necessary." 

The act contains the usual provisions for choosing officers, 
assessing taxes, and regulating payments.' The company was 
organized, and a fence built, the proprietors paying each his 
proportion. The town assessed taxes upon the corporation ; 
and, Feb. 4, 1822, the town's tax was one hundred and fifty- 
seven dollars and seven cents. The corporation is bound to 
support the fences and dike, and can compel any proprietor 
to pay his share. 



CHAPTER XV. 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 

July 28, 1629. — Mr. Joseph Bradshaw was present this day, as 
one of the assistants, at the sitting of the court in London. 

1630. — The fleet that brought over Governor Winthrop and the 
first settlers of Medford was nautically organized. The history 
says, " Articles of consortship were drawn between the captain and 
mariners : The Arbella to be the admiral ; the Talbot to be the 
vice-admiral ; the Ambrose, the rear-admiral." The Arbella was 
named in honor of Mrs. Johnson, the wife of one of the "five 
undertakers in London." 

Aug. 23, 1 630. — " Ordered that no person shall use or take away 
any boat or canoe without leave from the owner thereof, on pain of 
fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court." 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 



479 



Aug. 23, 1630. — "It was ordered that carpenters, joiners, brick- 
layers, sawyers, thatchers, shall not take above 2s. a day ; nor any 
man shall give more, under pain of 10s. to taker and giver ; and 
that sawers shall not take above 4s. Qd. the hundred for boards, at 
six score the hundred, if they have their wood felled and squared 
for them ; and not above 5s. Qd. if they fell and square their wood 
tTipmsGlvcs* 

Feb. 7, 1632. — On this day, Governor Winthrop, Mr. Nowell, 
and others, crossed our ford in Medford, and travelled on an explor- 
ing expedition towards the north-east, and came " to a very great 
pond, having in the midst an island of about one acre, and very 
thick with trees of pine and beech ; and the pond had divers small 
rocks standing up here and there in it, which they therefore called 
Spot Pond. They went all about it on the ice." 

1633. — Puritans : Neal says, " Hardly a vessel came into these 
ports but was crowded with passengers for New England." 

July 2, 1633. — " It is ordered that no person sell either wine or 
strong water without leave from the governor or deputy-governor ; 
and no man shall give any strong water to any Indian." 1638. — 
" Wine shall not be sold by innholders ; but they may brew the 

beer they sell." 

Oct. 1, 1633. — Thanksgiving-day appointed by the General 
Court, — the first on record. It was as follows : " In regard to the 
many and extraordinary mercies which the Lord hath been pleased 
to vouchsafe of late to this plantation, — viz., a plentiful harvest, 
ships safely arrived with persons of special use and quality, &c, — it 
is ordered that Wednesday, 16th of this present month, shall be kept 
as a day of public thanksgiving through the several plantations."^ 

1635. — A wharf, made by large trees laid crosswise, was built 
on the bank of Maiden River, opposite the Wellington Farm ; and 
a cartway led from it to the first house built in Medford. 

March 28, 1636. — Governor Winthrop, writing to his son, says, 
" This morning, I went to Ten Hills with your mother and your wife, 
to have seen Goodman Bushnell. We are all in good health ; and 
I praise God for it. Your wife and mother, and all of us, salute 
you and your good company. The Lord bless and prosper you. 
Farewell, my good son." 

Oct. 28, 1636. — "It is ordered that the freemen of every town 
shall, from time to time, as occasion shall require, agree amongst 
themselves about the prices and rates of any town, whether work- 
men, laborer, or servant." 

1636. » Buying provisions and victuals to sell again is forbid- 
den, unless leave be obtained of the governor." 

Nov. 20, 1637. — " Ordered that no person shall sell any cakes 
or buns, either in the markets, or victualling houses, or elsewhere, 
upon pain of 10s. fine ; provided that this order shall not extend to 
such cakes as shall be made for any burial or marriage, or such like 
special occasion." 



480 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

Dec. 4, 1G38. — Three persons having been drowned, at Charles- 
town Ferry, by the careless upsetting of a canoe, the court " ordered 
that no canoe should be used at any ferry, upon pain of £5 ; nor 
should any canoe be built in our jurisdiction before the next Gene- 
ral Court, upon pain of £10." 

Sept. 9, 1639. — -Registration of births, marriages, and deaths, 
expressly required ; and to be sent annually to the court. 

1640. — Matthew Cradock was a member of Parliament from 
London. 

June 2, 1641. — " The bounds for Charlestown Village (Woburn) 
are to be set out by Captain Cooke, Mr. Holliocke, and Mr. John 
Oliver, the contents of four mile square." 

Mr. Carter, the first minister of Woburn, was ordained 1642, 
when seventy-seven ministers had been ordained in New England. 

1642. — Confederation against the Indians recommended by the 
General Court. 

May 10, 1643. — The General Court appointed a committee to 
lay out a road from Cambridge to Woburn. 

1643. — Middlesex was the first to recommend and adopt the 
division of territory into counties. 

Mr. Edward Collins was chosen by Cambridge a representative 
in the General Court ; but he did not attend. They required him to 
give reasons for his neglect, or pay twenty shillings. 

1644. — Medford was called to mourn the death of its founder, 
Matthew Cradock, Esq. ; and, in 1649, lost a friend and neighbor, in 
the death of Governor Winthrop. 

1644. — It was customary with the early settlers in Medford to 
attend public worship in the neighboring towns when they had no 
preaching within their own plantation. On a sabbath, in the year 
1644, when it was a serious loss to have " the go-to-meeting-bonnet" 
injured, the following semi-tragic scene occurred near Mystic Bridge. 
We give the narrative in the words of Governor Winthi'op (" Jour- 
nal," vol. ii. p. 161): "One Dalkin and his wife, dwelling near 
Meadford, coming from Cambridge, where they had spent their 
sabbath, and • being to pass over the river at a ford, the tide not 
being fallen enough, the husband adventured over, and, finding it 
too deep, persuaded his wife to stay a while ; but, it raining very 
sore, she would needs adventure over, and was carried away with 
the stream past her depth. Her husband, not daring to go help her, 
cried out ; and thereupon his dog, being at his house near by, came 
forth, and, seeing something in the water, swam to her; and she 
caught hold of the dog's tail : so he drew her to the shore, and saved 
her life." If, at this time, it was flood-tide in Medford, there can 
be no doubt that marital chivalry was at a very low ebb. We 
related this hair-breadth escape to a lady of Medford, who instantly 
exclaimed, " I would have thrown my inhuman husband into the 
river, and then married the human dog ! " 

March 4, 1645. — "Whereas complaint hath been made to this 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 481 



court, that divers persons within this jurisdiction do usually absen 
themselves from church meetings upon the Lords day, power is 
therefore given to any two assistants to hear and censure, either by 
fine or imprisonment (at their discretion), all misdemeanors of that 
kind committed by any inhabitant within this jurisdiction, provided 
they exceed not the fine of five shillings for one offence. 

1 645. — Something may be guessed concerning the state ot things 
among the early settlers, when « a man walks on snow-shoes five 
miles to buy a bushel of corn, carries it on his back to mill, and 

th M C a e y h 6 0m i646. — The General Court forbid all persons taking any 
tobacco within five miles of any house. actional 

1647. — The sum of fifty pounds, and, in 1649, the additional 
sum of fifty pounds, given, by the will of Mathew Cradock, Esq, 
to the poo? o'f St. Swithen's are acknowledged as having been 
received, and entered * the " Vellum Book,' Oct. 17, 16ol. ine.e 
sums were laid out in building shops against the church-wall. 

1647. — Charlestown's " part of Mistick Wear was granted as an 
allowance for the town school for ever." u 

1647. — The General Court invite the Synod to draw up a 

CO N e ov Si Tl 0f l647 h - Medford was under the following law : Ordered 
that no lov'er shall seek the hand of his chosen one ti U he h asked 
permission of her parents. Penalty for the first offence, £5 , tor 
die second, £10 ; and for the third, imprisonment According to 
this, countg, in those days, must have been a very dangerous busi- 

De The« Cambridge Platform "adopted 1648; and the church at 

X:\Vltlt -V:Z%™ united in a company, and received 
from the General Court an act of incorporation. 

May 2 1649. -The General Court say " Upon the petition 
of Sick-side men, they are granted to be a distinct town, and the 
n „ mP thereof to be called Mauldon.' *..*'* 

To49 .- The Middlesex County Records before this date are 

l0S 1649.-" Horses must be registered in a book kept in each 

t0W In "a neighboring town, church troubles ran so high, in 1650, that 

thev were obliged to call in the civil authorities. 

they were oniig « g00 dwife" were common appella- 

*■ « Mr ^wasaTlied only t persons of distinction. "Esquire" 

ordered him to return the corn, and pay a fine , and hereatter to 
be called b7 the name of Josias, and not Mr., as formerly he used 

t0 1657. - The name of Jonathan Wade first appears on the records 

61 



482 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

of the registry of deeds in Middlesex County, June 11, 1657. Its 
next occurrence, May 20, 1662. 

1670. — Some Indian children were brought up in our English 
families, and afterwards became idle and intemperate. A gentle- 
man asked the Indian father why this was so. He answered, 
" Tucks will be tucks, for all old hen be hatch 'em." 

1 673. — Population of New England, 1 20,000. Of these, 1 6,000 
could bear arms. Boston had 1,500 families. In 1760, New 
England had 500,000 inhabitants, and 530 Congregational churches. 

1673. — An author says, " At this time, there was not a house in 
New England which had more than twenty rooms. There were 
five hundred persons worth each three thousand pounds. The worst 
cottages were lofted." 

February, 1674. — The earliest record of town-meetings in 
Medford, which has escaped destruction, bears the above date. 

Before 1676, there were but few settlements more than twenty 
miles from the Atlantic coast. 

1679. — "The court decide that it is not lawful for a man to 
marry his former wife's sister." There is no good reason for this ; 
but it Would have been wise to have forbidden first-cousins to marry 
each other. 

Apparitions and haunted houses. The belief in them was very 
common for the first hundred years of our history ; and it was a 
faith full of efficacy to puzzle men and frighten children. 

1690. — The delusions of witchcraft never penetrated Medford. 
(See Mr. Turell's narrative.) 

In 1 690, Medford chose a sealer of weights and measures. 

The " oath of fidelity " was often taken in Medford during the first 
century. It differed from the "freeman oath." 

1697. — "Isaac Royal, merchant, of Boston, was married, by 
Benjamin Wadsworth, July 1, 1697, to Elizabeth, only child of 
Asaph Eliot, of Boston." 

Hon. Isaac Royal chosen moderator of a town-meeting, — the first 
mention of his name on the records (about 1755). 

May 3, 1 697. — Voted to pay the representative eighteen-pence 
per day during his service in the General Court. 

1699. — John Bradstreet, of Medford, descendant of Governor 
Bradstreet, son of Simon, married his cousin, Mercy Wade, of Med- 
ford, Oct. 9, 1699. Their children were Dudley, born Oct. 26, 
1701, married Sarah Pierce, Aug. 18, 1724 ; Ann, born July 7, 
1704; Lucy, born May 30, 1706; and Patience, born Feb. 13, 
1712. Sarah married Rev. John Tufts, of Newbury, who was born 
in Medford. 

Our ancestors generally assembled in town-meeting at six o'clock, 
a.m., during the warm weather. 

Nov. 26, 1700. — "The above town-meeting was adjourned to 
the sixth day of December next, to meet at the house of Stephen 
Willis, sen., about sun-setting." 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 483 

1700. — Meeting-house in Medford so cold that men struck their 
feet together, and children gathered around their mothers foot- 

1700.— At this time, "black dogs" were put into the con- 
tribution-box in Medford. A silver coin bore this nickname. 

1700. — Elders and messengers. These titles were used in let- 
ters missive, till the beginning of this century, to designate the 
pastors and delegates invited to assist in the ordination ot mini- 

1700. — Charlestown voted " that all the waste land belonging 
to the town, on the north side of Mystic River should be divided 
and laid out equally, to every person an equal share that hath been 
an inhabitant of this town six years, and is t™?*™ J™ 01 ** 
and the like shareto all widows, householders, that have been six 

years inhabitants." ,.■*-,■, i x>- u viAA^-n 

J 1703. — A terrific storm occurred in England. Bishop Kidder, 

Bishop of Bath and Wells, was killed, with his wife, by the falling 
of chimneys upon them while in bed in the palace at Wells. He 
was kinsman of the Kidders of Medford. Mrs. Samuel K.dder, 
now of Medford, is a descendant of Rev. John Rogers the martyr. 

In 1712, a day-laborer in Medford was allowed two shillings; tor 
a team, one day, five shillings. 

The Rev. Aaron Porter's signature maybe seen in the town- 
records, under date of May 15 and Aug. 20, 1717. 

June 12 1717. — There was a hearing before the council con- 
cerning the question, whether Cambridge or Charlestown should be 
the shire-town of Middlesex County. Judge Sewall says, Mi. 
Auchmuty pleaded very well for Charlestown. His discourse was 
very well worth hearing. Mr. Remington alleged and proved for 
Cambridge very pertinately and fully. It was decided for Cam- 
bridge on the 13th." Then came the question of concurrence before 
the House of Deputies. It was a close vote. The judge says, 
"Could not tell by lifting up the hands: were fain to divide the 
house. They for Cambridge went to the north side ; they tor 
Charlestown, to the south. Cambridge had forty-six ; Charlestown, 

forty-one^ ^^ A]breej daughter of j ohn Albree, afterwards the 
mother 'of John Brooks, was baptized May 4, 1718, and was taken 
into church Jan. 24, 1743. . . 

Mav 12 1718. " Put to vote, whether persons hiring any per- 
sons, or leasing out tenements, in Medford, may be obliged to 
acquaint the selectmen therewith, or liable to some fine. Voted in 

the negative." 

1720. — Tea began to be used in Medford. 

1721. _ Medford voted to turn the road away from a house while 
the smallpox was in that house. ., .«„ 

Au" 14 1721. — " Sundry inhabitants on the north side of Mys- 
tic River, who desired to be set off from Charlestown to Maiden, 



484 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

were refused their petition by Charlestown. From the earliest 
times, there seems to have been a strong desire to break away from 
Charlestown. At first, it was the largest town in the Colony ; but 
town after town has been severed Irom it, till now it is the smallest 
territorial town in the State ! 

In the graveyard at Maiden, we find the following: — 

"Here lies buried the body of Capt. Peter Tufts, who died Sept. 20, 1721, 

aged 73 years. 
" Also the body of Mrs. Mercy Tufts, wife of Capt. Peter Tufts, who died 

June 18, 1715, aged 48 years. 

"Mercy, daughter of Seaborn Cotton, was born Nov. 3, 1666. 
She married Captain Peter Tufts, of Medford. Her grandfather 
was Rev. John Cotton, of England, a very distinguished divine." 
Dr. Simon Tufts, of Medford, was the youngest son of Peter and 
Mercy Tufts. 

1727. — Mr. Thomas Seccomb left valuable records, in manu- 
script, containing a notice of every clergyman who preached in 
Medford, and all the texts preached from, between 1727 and 1774; 
also a record of all baptisms and all contributions. 

Book No 1 begins Sept. 3, 1727 ; and ends June 1, 1736. 
„ „ 2 „ June 20, 1736 ; „ Feb. 28, 1745. 
„ „ 3 „ March 3, 1745 ; „ Dec. 3, 1767. 

„ „ 4 „ Dec. 20,1767; „ May 1,1774. 

In the second meeting-house, 5,134 sermons were preached, and 
1,218 persons baptized. 

Oct. 29, 1727. — The great earthquake occurred on this day 
(Sunday) ; and the selectmen of Medford appointed the next 
Wednesday, Nov. 2, to be observed as a day of fasting and humilia- 
tion on that account. 

September, 1729. — The Yankee habit of using a jack-knife on 
all occasions and in all places seems to have given our town some 
trouble ; for at this time they resolve, by a public vote, to prose- 
cute those persons who have cut the seats of the new meeting- 
house. 

Feb. 17, 1731. — Mr. Turell says in his record, " Married, stand- 
ing together, William Watson and Abigail Hall." Was this the first 
time he had seen a couple so placed ? 

Sept. 12, 1731. — Rev. John Seccomb preached in Medford. 

1735. — Sampson, a negro slave, was sorely frightened by a wild 
bear and cub, which he met in the woods, near Governor Cradock's 
house. In a rock on the north-east border of Medford, near the 
corner of Melrose, is a deep excavation, called Bear's Den. 

Oct. 8, 1738. — Governor Belcher attended meeting in Medford, 
Sunday. Rev. Mr. Turell preached. 

Rev, Joshua Tufts preached in Medford, Aug. 24, 1740. 

A species of very destructive worm appeared in July, 1743. 
They destroyed both grass and corn. Mr. Turell preached, July 
3, on the event, from Lam. iii. 39, and Ezek. xviii. 25. 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 



485 



1744. _ A long-tailed comet, of unusual brightness, frightened 
some of our people more than Mr. Whitefield had ; but a wag here 
said, " that he thought it the most profitable itinerant preacher and 
friendly new-light that had yet appeared." 

1745. _ Medford voted thus : Any person who allows his dog to 
go into the meeting-house on Sunday shall pay ten shillings (old 
tenor) for each offence. 

1749. _ Some idea of travelling expenses may be obtained from 
the acts of the town relative to their farm on the Piscataqua River. 
They wished to sell the farm for two thousand pounds (old tenor) ; 
and therefore chose Lieutenant Stephen Hall, jun., and Captain 
Samuel Brooks, to go to Portsmouth, N.H., and settle some claims 
pertaining to the land ; and they voted forty pounds (old tenor) to 
be given them, to bear the expenses of the journey. 

Robert Burns is a name that frequently occurs in the Medford 
records about the middle of the eighteenth century. 

1750. _ The various spelling of proper names by the different 
town-clerks of Medford sometimes makes it difficult to determine 
how families spelled their own names. 

1750. — A gallows and a whipping-post stood near Porter's ta- 
vern, in Cambridge ; and this gave rise to the schoolboy strophe : — 

" Cambridge is a famous town, 
Both for wit and knowledge : 
Some they whip, and some they hang, 
And some they send to college." 

Sept. 3, 1752. — The Protestants in England adopted the 1st of 
January as the beginning of the year, instead of the 25th of March ; 
and Sept. 3 was changed to Sept. 14. 

Jan. 29, 1753. — " Dr. Simon Tufts, and Lucy Tufts, his wife, of 
Medford, gave a quitclaim deed to Thomas Dudley of all their 
right to the property of their honored father, William Dudley, Esq., 

of Roxbury." 

In 1755, Massachusetts raised a large part of the two thousand 
troops who were to dislodge the French Neutrals in Nova Scotia. 
Medford furnished its share. These Acadians were conquered, 
and they and their effects scattered through the colonies. One 
thousand of the wretched and proscribed sufferers were distributed 
in Massachusetts. Eight of them were cared for in Medford. 
They staid a long time ; and the kindness of our people reconciled 
them to their lot. The family of Le Bosquet was one that re- 
mained here. 

May 10, 1756. — "Voted that the money gathered on Thanks- 
giving-days be given to the poor by the deacons." This was the 
beginning of that excellent custom. 

1757. — Stephen Hall gave one hundred pounds (old tenor) for 
the purchase of a funeral-pall which should belong to the town. 
Whereupon, voted that it should be free for the town ; but that 
" half a dollar shall be paid for its use whenever it goes out of town." 



486 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

1758. — Rev. Ebenezer Turell wrote his first will, in which he 
gave the house he purchased of John Giles to the church in Med- 
ford, " for the use of the ministry for ever." He afterwards wrote 
two different wills. The bonds and mortgages owned by him in 
1772 amounted to £4,860. 

1759. — In recording marriages, the Rev. Mr. Turell often 
designated the trade or profession of the bridegroom. Jan. 4, 1759, 
he married a man, and called him "a ranger." 

1759. — The first time of using the silver baptismal basin was 
Sept. 9, 1759, when Benjamin, son of Benjamin Francis, was bap- 
tized. The last baptism in the second meeting-house was of Rhoda, 
daughter of Moses Tufts, Feb. 4, 1770. The first in the new meet- 
ing-house was Lydia, daughter of Samuel Teel, March 18, 1770. 

Nov. 24, 1759. — The name of Mead occurs for the first time in 
the Medford records. 

1760. — The word dollar occurs in the Medford records for the 
first time. 

1760. — A certain clergyman said to an Indian, "I am sorry to 
see you drink rum." The Indian replied, " Yes, we Indians do 
drink rum ; but we do not make it." 

1761. — The first record of any vote of thanks in Medford bears 
date of May 13, 1761, " thanking Mr. Thomas Brooks for his good 
services as treasurer." 

1762. — Wages for a man's labor one day, three shillings and 
fourpence (lawful money) ; for a man and team, six shillings and 
eightpence. 

Nov. 1, 1763. — The Stamp Act went into operation. 

In 1763, there were nine hundred and five full-blooded Indians 
in the Old Colony. 

Sept. 7, 1767. — Voted that the one hundred and three hymns 
written by Dr. Watts be used in .public worship, in connection with 
Tate and Brady's version of the Psalms. 

Thomas Seccomb was town-clerk for twenty-two years, and 
resigned in 1767. He wrote a very legible hand, spelled his words 
properly, and was the only person in Medford who seemed to have 
any care for records, or any thought of posterity in them. 

Oct. 13, 1768. — Rev. Edward Brooks preached for Mr. Turell. 

Royalton, Worcester County, Mass., was named in honor of 
Colonel Royal, of Medford. 

1770. — The engraving of the house in which the writer of this 
history was born is placed at the end of this volume, as his signature. 

March 26, 1770. — "Last Tuesday, Henry Lloyd, Esq., set out 
on a journey to New York, Philadelphia, and the southern colo- 
nies ; and it was observed that the gentleman's whole apparel and 
hguse furniture were of American manufacture. His clothes, linen, 
shoes, stockings, boots, gloves, hat, even wig and wig-call, were all 
manufactured and made up in New England. An example truly 
worthy of imitation." 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 487 

May 14, 1772. — "Voted that the selectmen give liberty to Mr. 
Noah Floyd to build a shop on his land before the meeting-house." 

1772. — For a day's labor by a man, three shillings and sixpence ; 
for a man and team, six shillings and eightpence. 

1772. — Medford chose bread-weighers. It would be a wise law 
that should re-establish, through the State, such officers, who would 
protect the poor against imposition in this all-important article of 
daily food. Such officers in Europe are deemed indispensable. 

1774. — An old house, owned, and kept as a tavern, by Eben. 
Hills, stood in the market-place. This year, it was purchased by 
Mr. Jonathan Porter, and kept by him as a tavern and a store, and 
was a favorite resort for British and Hessian officers during the 
Revolution. In 1785, Mr. Porter took down the house, discon- 
tinued the tavern, and built his private residence and store on the 
spot where they continue to this day. 

1775. — Before the battle of Bunker Hill, General Stark fixed 
his head-quarters at Medford, in the house built by Mr. Jonathan 
Wade, near the Medford House, on the east side of the street. 
After the battle, twenty-five of the general's men, who had been 
killed, were brought here, and buried in the field, about fifty or sixty 
rods north of Gravelly Bridge. Their bones have been discovered 
recently. 

1775. — Our patriot fathers cut down those "white-pine trees 
which his majesty had reserved for the use of his royal navy," and 
supplied the American troops with fuel at Cambridge and Charles- 
town. 

1775. — Major Andrew McClary, of Colonel Stark's regiment, 
was a brave and good man. After the battle of Bunker Hill, he 
rode to Medford to procure bondages for the wounded. After his 
return, a shot from a frigate, laying where Cragie's Bridge is, 
passed through his body. " He leaped a few feet from the ground, 
pitched forward, and fell dead on his face. He was carried to 
Medford, and interred with the honors of war." He lies about fifty 
or sixty rods north of the old burying-ground. 

June 16, 1775. — Colonel Dearborn's troops, from New Hamp- 
shire, stopped in Medford through the nighf, and marched early for 
Winter Hill on the morning of the 17th. 

February, 1776. — While the British troops held possession of 
Boston, an English officer, in disguise, left the town, and came to 
Medford to see a friend who was dangerously ill ; and, although he 
came under cover of the night, the Americans in Charlestown sus- 
pected him, and followed him to Medford. His apprehension and 
death were almost certain. What to do, or where to fly, he knew 
not ; but to decide speedily was imperative. He knocked at the 
door of Benjamin Hall, Esq., and asked to see that gentleman in 
his entry. The servant told him that Mr. Hall could not be dis- 
turbed, because he was engaged at a sitting of the " Vigilance Com- 
mittee " ! " Good Heavens 1 " he exclaimed to himself, " here I am 



488 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

in the lion's mouth." Rallying from this surprise, he told the ser- 
vant to " go and ask Mr. Hall to step here a moment." She went ; 
and soon Mr. Hall appeared, leaving behind him Joshua Symonds, 
Samuel Kidder, Stephen Hall, jun., and Ebenezer Hall. The 
stranger asked an interview alone for an instant. They went 
together into a side room, when he said to Mr. Hall, " I come to 
put myself under your protection. I am a British officer. I came 
to Medford to see a sick friend. I am pursued ; and shall be killed, 
if I am caught. I throw myself on your magnanimity." Mr. Hall 
replied, " You could not have appealed to any man who feels less 
sympathy with your cause. I go, with all my head and heart and 
hand, for the freedom of the Colonies ; and the ' Vigilance Com- 
mittee ' of this town is this moment in session in an adjoining room ; 
and, if I was suspected of harboring a British officer, I should be 
mobbed. You must leave my house immediately." The officer 
replied, that he was ready to make any concessions or promises, 
and was ready to die ; but did not wish to be seized by an infuriated 
soldiery, and hung on the first tree. He therefore only asked to be 
shielded for a few hours. Mr. Hall now felt that protection to such 
an unarmed man was an act of magnanimity ; and, making the dis- 
tinction between a private gentleman and a public enemy, he took 
a candle, and told the officer to follow him. He led him into his 
garret, and secreted him behind some old boxes, having made him 
promise to leave the house at midnight. The officer was perfectly 
happy, wedged in between the bags and barrels of a dusty garret ; 
and there he lay, in total darkness, till the promised hour, when 
Mr. Hall showed him the front door ; and he went in safety, thank- 
ing his generous enemy as the saviour of his life. 

Jan. 4, 1779. — Our town-record reads thus: "Mr. Jonathan 
Patten says he will use his endeavor that Mr. Foster shall not use 
any more charcoal in the blacksmith-shop near the bridge ; and, if 
he still persists in using charcoal, that he, the said Patten, will 
desire Mr. Foster to quit the shop." How Mr. Blacksmith Foster 
could get along with his work in those days without charcoal, we do 
not see ; and why this municipal interdict, we do not know. 

Where the town-pump now stands, in the market-place, there 
was a small pond, whose edges were covered with a growth of small 
flags ; and there are persons now living, whose fathers have told 
them that wild ducks were shot in that pond. 

May 19, 1780. — This was the dark day. By ten o'clock, A.M., 
it had the appearance of night. Pomp, a negro in Medford, became 
frightened, and, going to his master, said, " Massa, the day of judg- 
ment has come : what shall I do ? " " Why, Pomp, you'd better 
wash up clean, and put on your Sunday clothes." Pomp, perceiv- 
ing that his master was not frightened, began to produce proofs. 
" Massa, it has come ; for the hens are all going to roost." " Well, 
Pomp, they show their sense." " And the tide, massa, in the 
river, has stopped running." " Well, Pomp, it always does at high 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 489 

water." " But, massa, it feels cold ; and this darkness grows more 
and more." " So much the better, Pomp ; for the day of judgment 
will be all fire and light." Pomp concluded not to wash up, but wait. 

1781. — "New-England money." This epithet is used in the 
Medford records, for the first time, in 1781, when the town voted 
to raise one thousand three hundred pounds, to pay interest on their 
debt. 

1781. — "When the news of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis 
reached Medford, 1781, the inhabitants immediately testified their 
joy by a bonfire on the top of Pasture Hill. Wood and rags, 
covered with tar, were the imflammable materials used to express 
the jubilation. 

The first register of deeds in Middlesex County chosen, Dec. 20, 
1784. There was but one candidate, — William Winthrop, Esq., 
— who received seventeen votes in Medford. 

1785. — "Aunt Jenny" Watts, of Medford, carried baked pud- 
dings and beans, on horseback, in market-baskets, to Cambridge 
College twice each week, and would retail her load only to under- 
graduates ! She sold the best of articles, at the lowest prices, and 
was almost overwhelmed with customers. She said she was the 
beanefactor of the college, and had no desire to make the young 
men mealy-mouthed or pudding-headed. 

Aug. 7, 1786. — For the first time, Medford granted liberty of 
building horse-sheds behind the meeting-house. 

Rev. Mr. Osgood boarded many years in the family of Deacon 
Richard Hall, and a very close intimacy blessed both parties after- 
wards. On a Sunday, Mrs. Hall was taken ill in church, and her 
husband went out with her. After some time, the deacon returned. 
As soon as he had shut the door, Mr. Osgood stopped in his ser- 
mon, and said, " Mr. Hall, how is aunt now ? " " She is better," 
was the reply. 

1789. — Thomas Brooks, Esq., acquired great popularity as one 
of the " marrying justices." One day, while riding on horseback to 
Woburn, he discovered a party of six young persons — > three male, 
and three female — riding on horseback towards him. He guessed 
their errand ; and they guessed that the cocked hat, bush-wig, and 
silver buckles approaching them must belong to " the squire." Both 
parties stopped. The bridegroom announced his wishes, and the 
squire replied thus*: " My young friends, we are here in the midst of 
this lofty forest, upon an unfrequented road, with God's clear sky 
over us, and his green earth under us. We shall not be disturbed. I 
propose to solemnize your marriage here : what say you ? " They 
gladly consented. He told them not to dismount, but to arrange 
themselves in due order, — the gentlemen on one side, and the 
ladies on the other. This being done, he placed his horse so as to 
be directly in front of the bride and bridegroom. Then, taking off 
his hat, he began his prayer ; and report says that he was " gifted 
in prayer," and that, on this occasion, " he prayed like an angel." 

62 



490 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

The introductory service concluded, the plight of vows was made, 
the union declared, and the benediction pronounced ; and then the 
whole party journeyed back together, rejoicing in the poetry ap- 
pended to the great event. 



§J/Wrriensf jhnrtmrfcf 



Medford was represented in the General Court by a conscien- 
tious and trustworthy man, who had fallen into the habit of sleeping 
after dinner. Sleep he must, and sleep he would. Medford had 
petitioned the Legislature for a grant of certain rights touching the 
fishery in Mystic River. This gentleman had presented the petition ; 
and the day was fixed for its consideration by the house. That day 
had arrived ; and the Medford representative was all alive to the 
question, and had prepared his speech for the decisive moment, in 
defence of the petition. Two sessions were held that day ; and the 
Medford fisheries were to come up immediately after dinner ! 
How, then, could our representative get his nap? He went to his 
seat in the house at a very early moment ; and soon his next 
neighbor came and sat beside him. It now occurred to him that he 
might safely secure a short nap, by asking his neighbor to wake 
him when the subject of Medford fisheries was called up. His 
friendly neighbor promised to do so : therefore Medford went to 
sleep. The house soon came to order ; and it was then proposed 
to pass another bill first, because no debate would be needed upon 
it. The bill was for the suppression of houses of ill-fame. It was 
not debated ; and the vote upon it was about to be taken, when our 
representative's next neighbor thought that his friend would like to 
vote on the occasion, and therefore awoke him suddenly. He had 
hardly got his eyes and wits fairly open before the speaker cried 
out, in the usual phrase, " Is the house ready for the question ? " 
Medford sprang upon his feet in an instant, exclaiming, " Mr. 
Speaker ! I must ask the attention of the house for a few moments 
to some remarks on this important and interesting question ; because, 
Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents get their living by this very 
business." A roar of laughter burst from every quarter of the 
house. The Medford representative stood aghast in raw wonder. 
As soon as quiet could be restored, the speaker said to him, " Do 
^ou know what the question before the house is?" " Why, yes: 
it's fishing in Mystic River, ain't it ? " Another peal of laughter 
convulsed the assembly. 

March 5, 1792. — Isaac Floyd chosen sexton. This is the first 
time an officer with this name appears on our records. 

Jan. 1, 1794. — Voted that the selectmen purchase a new cushion 
for the pulpit. They accordingly purchased " the green velvet 
one," which some of us, who preached our first sermon from it, 
remember with all the distinctness that people remember the time 
when they had " that great fever." 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 491 



May 12 1794. — A new pew in Medford meeting-house sold 
at auction, 'at twenty-four pounds. In the same year, good oak wood 
sold at one pound per cord. • 

1794. _Joseph Kidder, son of Deacon Samuel Kidder, strayed 
from home into the woods back of Pasture Hill. He was three 
years old ; and, being weary, he fell asleep under an apple-tree, and 
there slept till the next day. It was in July, and the weather 
very clear. The disappearance of the child created great alarm; 
and many inhabitants spent the night in traversing the woods, 
searching the clay-pits, and dredging the river. During the fore- 
noon, he was found near where he slept, "his head filled with dew, 
and his locks with drops of the night." . • 

After Sept. 1, 1795, all accounts in Medford were kept in dollars, 

cents, and mills. . . . 

1797. _ Mrs. Benjamin Hall presented the town with a tuneral- 
pall, suitable to be used at the burial of young persons. 

1798. A " deer reeve " chosen in Medford. For what i 

1800'. — About this time, the " Ohio fever " prevailed ; and some 
from Medford emigrated to that western land of promise. They 
have prospered greatly. A member of the United States Senate, 
and a member of the United States House of Representatives, at 
the present time, are Ohio children from the oldest Medford 

^Several years ago, two Medford gentlemen were speaking of a 
young man, who was acting the sorry part of spendthrift and 
fibertlne. One of the gentlemen said, « Oh ! he is sowing his w, d 
oats." "Yes," replied the other; « and the fool do" t know they 11 

all come up again." „ . horses 

1800. — After this time, "commonable be^ts ■ i. e., nor^es, 
oxen, cows, sheep, and hogs - were not allowed to go at large in the 

PU Th C e r first S '" clerk of the market " chc*en, March 2 1801. 

1804. - During the first part of Rev. Dr. Osgood s ministry, the 
number of children baptized, in each year was about fifteen ; 
which number steadily increased till it reached its maximum, of 

^oT-hS Committee chosen for the first time. Does this 

show the healthiness of the town ? 

1805 —The Medford omnibus, named " Governor Brooks,' was 
.aid to be the first vehicle of the kind built in New England It 
was made by Mr. Osgood Bradley, of Worcester, Mass. ; and first 
rppe'ed on its route, Oct. 18, 1836. It cost $650. Eighteen 
persons could be seated inside, and six outside. It was owned and 
driven by Mr. Joseph Wyman, of Medford, who began his new 
business, Feb. 16, 1805 ; *nd, for thirty years, drove daily a pub he 
coach between Medford and Boston, without overturning it. I he 
fare was thirty-seven and a half cents for many years ; but com- 
petition reduced it to twenty-five. 



492 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

1808. — In the public school, an assistant teacher is provided for 
the first time. 

1808. — Digging for hidden money, near the " Rock Landing," 
was three times repeated by (as is said) Mr. James Francis, of 
Medford, and Mr. James Hall, of Charlestown. We remember 
seeing the three excavations. The first, on the southern brow of 
Rock Hill, was a hole four feet deep and four feet in diameter, and 
was enclosed within a small circular furrow dug in the earth. The 
work was done in the night. The second, in Mr. Jonathan Brooks's 
land, was within thirty feet of the river, and was small in circum- 
ference, and quite deep. The third was within ten feet of the river, 
by the bathing -rock. It disclosed a cave walled up on each side, 
and arched ; its length about six feet, its width three, and its height 
three. The rocks were red, and so soft that they were ground and 
used in painting Captain Richardson's house. No rocks of that 
kind are known in this country. These diggings were at dhTerent 
times ; but no one has ever told what success attended the explo- 
rations. Other small trials were made in the eastern part of the 
town. Spirits are now substituted for witch-hazel. 

1808. — Snowballing. At this time, the boys who lived east of 
the meeting-house were called maggots ; and they who lived west of 
it were called fag-enders. Between these parties, the most furious 
and unbrotherly battles were fought each winter with snowballs. 
Snow forts were erected behind the meeting-house ; and so high ran 
the spirit of contest, that the boys from the east procured a small 
cannon, whWi they loaded so heavily, that, on its discharge, it burst, 
and wounded a, boy in the face. The effect of that injury continues 
to this day. 

1809. — Two representatives to the General Court elected in 
Medford. 

1809. — The numbei of deaths in Medford, between 1774 and 
1809, was 701. 

1810. — Medford had a large choir of volunteer singers, under 
the faithful Ephraim Bailey. On Sunday, once, the pitch-pipe set 
the pitch so high that the whole choir broke down. Still, Bailey 
tried on the second verse, and again broke down. General Brooks 
could not endure it any longer; and he rose in his pew, beck- 
oned to Bailey, and said, " Hadn't you better take another'pitch ? " 
Bailey replied, " No, sir : I guess we can get through it." 

1811, May 13. — "Voted to instruct the representative of Med- 
ford in the General Court to oppose the petition of Peter Tufts 
praying to be set off to Charlestown." The petition was granted. 

1814. — The free seats near the pulpit in the meeting-house, 
which were formerly occupied by aged men and women, were sold, 
and two pews built in their place. 

1815. — Nahant Parties. At this time, when only a few persons 
resided at Nahant, it was the custom for families in Medford to 
join in a party to that beautiful promontory. From ten to twenty 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 



493 



chaises would start together ; and, reaching Mr. Breed s, the ladies 
and gentlemen, girls and boys, would proceed to fishing from the 
rocks and boats. Each one wore the commonest clothes ; and the 
day was passed in all sorts of sports. A fish-dinner was an agreed 
part of the fare ; and a supper at Lynn Hotel closed the eating of 
the day. The party rode home by moonlight ; and, by ten o clock, 
were tired enough to go to bed. 

Dec. 10, 1816. — The town of Brooks, in Hancock County, 
Maine, containing 13,744 acres, was named in honor of the go- 
vernor. , , 

Every town rejoices in some euphonious local names. Medford has 

Sodom, Ram-head, Labor in Vain, No Man's Friend, Hardscrabble. 

A minister was asked if he would attend an evening meeting 

for religious worship. He answered, " No : I have no opinion of 

religion got by candle-light." 

The first time any meeting-house in Medford had been heated by 
a stove was Dec. 18, 1820. 

1822. — The delta of trees, within the triangular fence, which 
is in the public road, at the junction of High and Grove Streets, 
near the Lowell Railroad Station, in West Medford, was planted 
by the Hon. Peter C. Brooks in 1822 ; and the fence was built at 

his expense. 

1825. Medford has not been a resort for Jews ; but it had one 

who is remembered with interest, — Abraham Touro, eminent for 
his social and generous qualities. When General Lafayette reached 
Massachusetts, Mr. Touro offered him his noble horse for his en- 
trance into Boston. On the day of that triumphant entry, Mr. 
Touro was standing in his chaise, to catch his first sight of the 
illustrious visitor, when a sudden start of his horse threw him from 
his place, and broke his leg. The fracture was a very bad one, 
and the patient grew worse daily. The physicians and surgeons 
did all they could, and finally assured him that nothing but ampu- 
tation could save his life. With a Jew's traditionary prejudice 
against that operation, he firmly answered thus : "No ! I will never 
go into heaven with one leg." 

He left about two hundred thousand dollars ; and distributed it, 
by will, in legacies varying from five to twenty thousand dollars. 
He gave much in charity. He left a large sum to keep the syna- 
gogue in Newport, R.I., in good repair. m 
' 1825. — Parties in the Woods. Within the first twenty years of 
this century, it was customary for select parties of girls and boys, 
in whortleberry-time, to go into the woods near Pine Hill, or at the 
Bower, and there frolic in true rustic style. - A long extempore 
table was crowded with eatables, which had been contributed by the 
several members of the party. Rural dresses and schoolboy man- 
ners gave zest to the occasion ; while dancing on the grass allowed 
all to°join. The coming home in procession, or in carts, gave the 
last touch to the jubilant scene. 



494 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

May 4, 1829, the streets in Medford received their names. 

1829. — Voted that each owner of a dog shall pay $1.25 annually 
as a tax : also that each dog shall wear a collar ; and, if found with- 
out one, its owner shall pay $10. 

1830. — Voted to have the hell rung at twelve, m., and nine, p.m. 
1836.' — Mrs. John Fulton, who died this year, aged ninety-five, 

was one of those who helped to dress the wounds of the soldiers who 
were in the battle of Bunker Hill. Many of the wounded soldiers 
were brought to Medford. She was a true patriot ; and General 
Washington honored her with a visit. At that time, they had 
bought a punch-bowl ; and the general was the first person who 
drank out of it. The bowl is now owned by Mr. Frederick Brad- 
lee, of Boston. Mr. John Fulton, of Medford, was cousin to Mr. 
Robert Fulton, the inventor of steamboats ; and they were once 
prisoners together. Mrs. Fulton's mother was a Wier, who came 
over with the u Scotch-Irish " company. 

1840. — The pillars which sustained the gallery of the third 
meeting-house (1770) are now in use in West Medford, on the 
outside of the house of the late Jonathan Brooks. 

Mr. TureU's Portrait. — In Church Records, vol. iii. p. 104, are 
the following : " 1842, July. — The church received, from the hand 
of Dudley Hall, a bequest of the late Turell Tufts, Esq., — two pieces 
of plate for the communion-table ; and a portrait of the Rev. Mr. 
Turell, one of the former pastors of this church. 

" Aug. 7. — At a meeting of the church this day, a letter was 
read by Dudley Hall, from Samuel Turell Armstrong, requesting 
the church to transfer to him, during his lifetime, the above-men- 
tioned portrait of Mr. Turell. The church voted unanimously that 
this request be complied with ; and that Dudley Hall, the treasurer, 
be authorized to deliver the portrait to Mr. Armstrong." 

It is now in the possession of Mrs. S. T. Armstrong, widow, in 
Boston. 

1854. — In the New England Historical and Genealogical Regis- 
ter, of October, is a biographical notice of Hon. Peter C. Brooks, 
written by Hon. Edward Everett, doing justice to the character of 
our distinguished townsman. 

1854. — Captain Duncan Ingraham married the widow of Dr. 
Simon Tufts, as his second wife, and resided in Medford. By his 
first wife, lie had a son, named Nathaniel, who endeavored to force 
back into slavery Caesar, a Malay. Nathaniel had a son, named 
Duncan N., who attended our public schools, and is remembered as 
a boy of spirit and force. He has recently rendered himself famous 
by his bold measure at Smyrna for the rescue of an Hunga- 
rian. So popular is this measure, that even the working-classes 
of England have united to present to him a valuable chrono- 
meter. It bears the following inscription : " Presented to Captain 
Ingraham, of the United States navy, by some thousands of the 
British working-classes, for his noble conduct in rescuing Mar- 



LETTER. 495 

tin Koszta, the Hungarian refugee, from the Austrian authorities, 
April, 1854." 

1855. — Mr. Benjamin Noyes, son of Benjamin, was born in 
West Medford, and educated at the public school. He is now head 
engineer in constructing one hundred miles of railroad for the 
Emperor of the Russias. 

1855. — There are many stumps of large pitch-pine trees now 
remaining in East Medford, on land of Mr. Charles Hall. The 
field is called " stump-marsh." At the usual spring-tides, the salt- 
water covers this field from four to eight inches in depth. Could 
the forest of pines have lived and grown up, if thus covered with 
salt-water every fortnight ? Is proof found here of the theory, that 
the land on the New-England coast is sinking? 

1855. — William Tufts, Esq., born in Medford, March 1, 1787, 
entered the State House, as clerk in the office of the adjutant-gene- 
ral, in 1813; and, with the exception of three years, has been 
employed, till this year, as confidential clerk, under the different 
administrations. He has been called " the oldest man of the State 
House." No one was so able to aid seekers after historical docu- 
ments, and no one could have been more ready. 

1855 — 1655. — What would our Medford ancestors have said 
if they could have anticipated this time, when speed is deified, and 
when haste seems to increase with the means of haste ? 

" Tramp, tramp, across the land ; 
Splash, splash, across the sea ! " 



LETTER. 

In closing the history of one of the oldest towns of Mas- 
sachusetts, we are naturally led to the inquiry, How will the 
condition of those born here two hundred years after us com- 
pare with that of those born here two hundred years before 
us ? Standing between these two extremes, our hearts 
become moved with a parental regard towards children who 
will live as far from us in the future as our fathers did in the 
past. 'Had we a telegraph for time, as we have one for space, 
we would gladly send forward our welcomes and wishes, to be 
in waiting for them ; but the only chance we have of reaching 
them with our messages of love is to trust in the preservation 
of musty historic records in fire-proof libraries. How small 
the hope! A block of driftwood, in the Pacific, is said to 



496 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

have found its way into the Atlantic, and finally reached a 
shore. Presuming on this smallest of all chances, we would 
now cast our historic block into the deep waters of 1855 ; 
hoping, that, after it has been tossed by the waves and winds 
of two centuries, it may be driven on the shore of 2055. 
Should it have this unexpected rescue, we would, in such 
case, try to cheer it, amid the awkwardness of its antique 
dress and the sorrows of its shattered condition, by sending 
with it our following letter of introduction : — 

The Inhabitants of Medford in 1855, to the Inhabitants of Medford 

in 2055, send greeting : 

Children and Townsmen, — As we close this volume of 
history, which we have written for you, we would not send 
it without expressing our united and hearty good wishes for 
your health, prosperity, and happiness. That we have 
thought of you much and often, you will readily believe. 
We have hoped that physical training will in your day be so 
applied, that you can be strong like Maximinus ; intellectual 
development so secured, that you can analyze like Bacon ; 
moral power so advanced, that you can conquer like Paul ; 
and true Christianity so received, that you can be one with 
Christ, as he is one with God. 

The points in which you will exceed us are of course 
unknown to us ; but we have unbounded faith in the ener- 
gies of man. Onward and upward is the law ; " Excelsior " 
the motto. You may look back on our age, and perhaps 
call it an age of darkness, persecution, and bad philosophy, 
and call it by its right name. Looking through the glim- 
merings of the future, we now, therefore, rejoice with you in 
advance over a progress in natural science, intellectual phi- 
losophy, and moral truth, to us inconceivable. The earth 
and sea, the air and light, will doubtless perform for you a 
thousand offices of help and beauty of which we never 
dreamed. The law regulating the weather will by you be 
understood; and you may journey through the depths of 
ocean and the depths of air as securely as we do on the sur- 
face of the ground. The waste fields now around us will 
doubtless, in your day, be filled with a crowded population ; 
and Medford, as a part of the capital, may have lost its 
present individuality. We here solemnly and affectionately 
bequeath to you all we possess ; with the hope and the 
prayer, that, long before our wishes reach you, there may be, 



LETTER. 497 

as far as there can be, an end to the blasting power of igno- 
rance and the damning power of sin ; that the fires of intem- 
perance, and the injustice of slavery, and the crime of war, 
may be no more seen ; that all superstition, polytheism, and 
idolatry, all violations of the eternal right, and all the bitter- 
ness of sectarian zeal, may have passed to their graves for ever. 
In one word, we hope and pray, that, as your turn shall 
come to act and suffer the allotments of humanity, there 
may not be on earth one rational being who does not cheer- 
fully acknowledge the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood 
of man. 

To you, we must seem among the ancients ; and you may 
wonder how we looked, felt, and acted. The laws of Nature 
do not change : and your organs will obey them as do ours. 
You look at the light blue of the sky, or the dark blue of 
the ocean ; at the green grass of summer, or the yellow leaf 
of autumn ; at the brightness of Orion, or the mountains of 
the moon ; at the changing hues of sunset, or the bursting 
splendors of the aurora; on the innocent gambols of a child, 
or the sweet smile of a parent ; on the deep sorrow of mis- 
fortune, or the marble face of death. You look at these ; 
and, let us tell you, they all appeared to us exactly as they 
do to you. 

In the woods, you hear their feathered minstrelsy ; and, in 
the bower, the advertising cricket. At Niagara, you hear the 
heavy tones of its pouring ; and, on the rocky Atlantic shore, 
the thunder of the sea. In the angry debate, you hear the 
sharp voice of passion ; and, in the family circle, the sweet 
song of love. And, be assured, these sounds, so well known 
to you, were as well known to us. To you, the fragrance of 
the rose and the miasma of the fen, the sweet of honey and 
the bitter of wormwood, the touch of fire and the feeling of 
ice, are probably the very same which we have experienced. 
Each of our senses has carried its report to the brain by that 
faithful electricity of the nerves in which you now rejoice. 

Your minds, too, though enriched by superior cultivation, 
have attributes in common with ours. You delight to read 
the poems of Homer and Virgil, and repeat the orations of 
Demosthenes and Cicero ; you sometimes tire amid the 
sublimities of Milton, and love to see man and Nature lay 
their treasures at Shakspeare's feet. And here let us say, 
that your classic approbation and noble fire do not probably 
differ much from ours. 

63 



498 HISTORY OF MEDFOllD. 

In the sweep of centuries, the heart changes less than the 
head. You feel indignant at the abnse of power and the 
triumph of wrong, at the sight of ingratitude and the thirst 
for revenge ; while your whole soul melts with sympathy at 
the sight of suffering, and leaps with thanksgiving to perform 
the office of the good Samaritan. Your love of country is 
as strong' as it is noble ; and your patriotic hearts beat with 
generous exultation at the name of our Washington and 
yours, of our Franklin and yours. Your love of home is 
stronger yet. In you, the delicate tendrils of domestic affec- 
tion intwine themselves life-long around the dear objects of 
your fire-sides ; and for them you are ready to labor, and, if 
need be, you are willing to die. Above all, your minds are 
illumined by a Christian faith, your hearts sanctified by 
divine grace, and your souls made living temples of the 
living God. How far we resemble you in these riches of the 
heart, we dare not say. It has been our endeavor to cherish 
them all. 

Standing, as we now do, mid-way in time between our first 
ancestors and you, we turn reverently towards them to ren- 
der our homage of gratitude, and turn cheerfully towards 
you to express our fulness of hope ; and, with the orator of 
our century, we would say, — 

" Advance, then, ye future generations ! "We would hail 
you, as you rise, in your long succession, to fill the places which 
we now fill, and to taste the blessings of existence, where we 
are passing, and soon shall have passed, our human duration. 
We bid you welcome to this pleasant land of the Fathers. 
We bid you welcome to the healthful skies and the verdant 
fields of New England. We greet your accession to the 
great inheritance which we have enjoyed. We welcome you 
to the blessings of good government and religious liberty. 
We welcome you to the treasures of science and the delights 
of learning. We welcome you to the transcendent sweets of 
domestic life, — to the happiness of kindred and parents and 
children. We welcome you to the immeasurable blessings 
of rational existence, the immortal hope of Christianity, and 
the light of everlasting truth." 





/n 



^^^' 




499 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES* 



" Remember the days of old ; consider the years of many generations : ask thy father, and he 
will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee." — Deut. xxxii. 7. 



1 ALBREE, JOHN, b. in the Island of New Providence in 1688 ; 

came to Boston in 1700, where he m., in 1711, Elizabeth Green, 
of Boston, a cousin of Gov. Belcher. She d. Dec. 6, 1751 ; and 
he d. Aug. 28, 1755. Children : — 

1- 2 Joseph, b. 1712. 

3 Elizabeth, „ Jan. 28, 1716 ; d. Mar. 17, 1735. 

4 Ruth, „ May 17, 1718; m. Caleb Brooks. 

5 Susanna, ,, 1722; „ John Pratt. 

John Albree had a sister, Elizabeth, who d. unm. 

1- 2 Joseph Albree m. Judith Reeves, Dec. 23, 1756 : she was a dau. 

of Sam. R., and d. Jan. 26, 1778, aged 43. He d. Mar. 26, 1777, 
leaving children : — 

2- 6 John, b. Nov. 9, 1757. 

7 Joseph, „ Aug.15, 1760; m. Susan Dodge, d. s.p. Feb. 16, 1815. 

8 Samuel, „ Oct. 20, 1761. 

9 Elizabeth, „ May 17, 1768; „ Jonathan Brooks ; d. Mar. 31, 1826. 

2- 6 John Albree m. Lydia Tufts, Jan. 5. 1793, who d. Apr. 27, 1850. 

He d. Nov. 6, 1842. Children : — 

6-10 John, b. Jan. 23, 1794; m. \ \ f JJ- Sh r e ^ e , rd t Feb ' ^l 8 . 2 /" 

( 2d, Mar. Child, June 14, 1854. 

11 Lydia, „ Apr. 24, 1798 ; d. May 31, 1822. 

12 George, „ Feb. 1, 1803. 

13 William T., „ July 8, 1805. 

14 Elizabeth, „ Mar. 1, 1810 ; m. John A. Downie, April 12, 1838. 

Samuel Albree m. Martha Hodge, of Amherst, May 16, 1786, 
who d. Apr. 2, 1841, aged 72. He d. Feb. 22, 1841. He had — 



o_ 



* Wherever two numbers are connected by a hyphen, the first is the number of the parent; 
and the se cond, of the child. Therefore, in every family, the grandfather, father, and child have 
their numbers in the same paragraph. Thus in the Albree family : Joseph m. Judith Reeves. 
The 1-2 against his name refers to the previous paragraph, where 1 is his father"s number, and 
2 his own. In the 2-6, 7, 8, &c,. these latter are his children's numbers, in the regular succes- 
sion of descendants of the first John Albree. » 

The abbreviations used are 4. for born; d, for died; m. for married; unm. for unmarried ; 
d. s. p. for died sine prole (without issue). 



500 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

8-15 Samuel E., b. Oct. 29, 17S7 ; d. Feb. 26, 17S8. 

16 Thomas li., „ Apr. 10, 1790; „ Oct. 2, 1791. 

17 Joseph, „ Oct. 27, 1792; „ Apr. 19, 1796. 

18 Elizabeth, „ Nov. 14, 1794 ; m. Peter Hall. 

19 Samuel, „ June 1, 1799 ; d. June 23, 1827. 

20 Martha, „ Sep. 10, 1801; „ Apr. 20, 1802. 

6-12 George Albree m., Mar. 27, 1828, Martha Curing, of Pittsburg, 
and had — 

12-21 John, b. Mar. 14, 1829. 

22 George C, „ Jan. 23, 1831; d. July 1, 1835. 

23 William A., „ June 9,1833; „ Dec. 22, 1836. 

24 Joseph, ,, Sep. 15, 1835. 

25 Robert C, „ Feb. 21, 1838. 

26 Elizabeth P., „ Oct. 15, 1840. 

Family of Albree. 

We can trace this Medford family to Nassau, in the Island of New Providence, the capital of the 
Bahamas. In 1672, the English government sent Mr. Collingworth to superintend the settlement 
of that island and its chief city by Englishmen. The attempt succeeded but imperfectly ; because 
the coa9ts were infested with pirates, and the Spanish were moved by jealousy to check English 
power. Mr. Collingworth, after a few years, resigned his office in despair; and the govern- 
ment appointed Mr. Clark governor of the island, and gave him means for sustaining himself. 
The early English settlers were selected for their energy and enterprise ; and they fixed on 
Nassau as their central port. The place grew and flourished ; but its Spanish enemies were 
numerous and bloodthirsty. They made a suohlen and warlike descent upon it, and cap- 
tured the brave Clark; and, in order to show their future intentions, they " roasted the Eng- 
lish governor alive." In one of these barbaric assaults, in 1699, the unoffending inhabitants 
were put to the sword; and two little children were that day made orphans. One was a boy, 
named John Albree, who was born in 1686 ; and the other was his sister, Elizabeth, who was 
three years younger. The brother fled with his sister to seek protection in a Boston vessel, 
which was there for cargo. The captain knew that the tragic story of the children was true; 
and, with the characteristic warmth of a sailor's heart, he took the weeping orphans to his 
arms, and offered to bring them to Boston and provide for them. They accepted, but wished 
to get something from their father's house. The captain went to the house ; but could find 
nothing worth taking away, save an old English onc-daA) cluck, which the plunderers had 
spared. That he took ; and that clock is now in possession of Misses Elizabeth and Lucy Ann 
Brooks, in Medford, and will keep time well, although two hundred years old. 

Early in the year 1700. .John Albree and Elizabeth Albree arrived in Boston, and were ten- 
derly cared for by the family of the captain who brought them. They were put to school, and 
taught to labor; and, when John was fourteen years old, he was indented as an apprentice, 
for seven years, to a weaver in Maiden. His master found him a silent and thoughtful boy, 
and made him a good weaver. His sister, at her own request, became an inmate of his mas- 
ter's family. These children annually received, from an unknown hand in New Providence, 
generous gifts of raw cotton and fruits This cotton had seeds in it; and a gin was sent with 
which to clear out the seeds. After they became of age, these benefactions ceased. Their 
father was probably a cotton-planter ; hence the son's preference for the trade of cotton-weaver. 
When he became of age, he moved to Medford. and soon afterwards purchased a small house, 
which stood on the spot now occupied by the house of Mr. Thatcher M.igoun, jun. His sister 
became his housekeeper. In May, 1711, he married a near relative of Governor Belcher, — 
Miss Elizabeth Greene, of Boston. When his first child was born, he wished to have it bap- 
tized, and named Joseph in honor of its grandfather: but not knowing whether he himself had 
been baptized, either in England or New Providence, he resolved to ask baptism for himself; 
and on Sunday, Sept. 6, 1713, he received the rite, and then offered his son. After a few years, 
he sold his house and garden, and bought a farm of twenty-two acres; which, by three subse- 
quent purchases, was enlarged to one hundred acres. It was much of the farm now occupied 
by Mr. Peter C. Hall. There was a gristmill upon it, on the west side of Purchase Street, 
contiguous to the land of Mr. B. L. Swan. He enlarged the mill by an addition of a weaver's 
shop. Here he worked, and grew comparatively rich. His grandson told us, that, in 1785, 
the stream that fed the mill failed ; and that he then " removed the mill and shop, and filled 
up the flume." The house of John, the first settler, was about ten rods north-east of his mill. 
He was a retired man, with many thoughts and few words: he was a great questioner, and 
remarkable for his high sense of honor. With the English slowness to adopt, he united the 
English tenacity in holding fast what he had chosen. He was an active friend of the poor, 
especially of orphans. He tenderly cherished his sister in his family while she lived. She 
died unmarried. He had four children, — Joseph, Elizabeth, Ruth, and Susanna. Joseph was 
the father of Mrs. Jonathan Brooks ; Ruth was the mother of Governor Brooks ; and Susanna, 
the mother of Captain John Pratt. The grandsons were called John, in honor of their grand- 
father, John Albree. Of the first settler's descendants, the only ones who remained in Med- 
ford were Mrs. Jonathan Brooks and Governor Brooks; and, through life, they were drawn 
towards each other bv the tendcrest ties. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 501 



Collateral Branches of the Albree Family. 

N.B. The records of those who married among the Brookses will he found in that family record. 

1- 5 Susanna m. Mr. Goldthwait, who d. six months after, without chil- 
dren. She m., 2d, John Pratt, of Chelsea, Dec. 6. 1753, and 
had — 
Thomas, b. m. Anne Cheever ; has son Thomas. 

John,* ,, Mary Tewksbury. 

Elizabeth. 
Susanna, ,, John Green, of Chelsea. 

Joanna, „ Green, „ ,, 

* Susan, hy first marriage. Children of John and Mary (Tewksbury) 
• Pratt are John, Mary, George, Eliza, Sarah Tewksbury, Caroline, Eleanor, 
James, Charlotte Albree, and William Touro. 

8-18 Elizabeth Albree m. Peter Hall, Jan. 2, 1817. She d. Jan. 8, 
1853. Her children were — 
Martha, b. June 4, 1818 ; m. Alonzo Rust, Mar. 31, 1836. 
Charles B., „ Oct. 15,1820; „ Koxalina Branch, Feb. 10, 1846. 
Samuel A., „ May 29, 1823. 
Elizabeth, „ Nov. 24, 1825. 
Marv Jane, „ Aug. 1, 1828. 
Judith, „ Feb. 2, 1831. 

Lucv Ann, „ June 22, 1833. 
George W., „ Apr. 2, 1838. 



ANGLER, SAMUEL, m. Abigail Watson, Apr. 29, 1762. 
John Angier m. Abby S. Adams. 
Luther ,, „ Lydia Farley. 



BALLARD, MARY, dau. of Joseph and Mary B., d. Sept. 16, 

1716. 
Samuel, son of Joseph and Mary Ballard, b. Dec. 27, 1718; d. 

Aug. 10, 1721. 

BIRDUE, PHILIP, m. Ann Soloman, Oct. 7, 1704. 



1 BISHOP, THOMAS, of Ipswich, merchant, Rep. 1666 ; d. Feb. 7, 
1671, leaving widow, Margaret. Children : — 

1- 2 Samuel. 

3 John. 

4 Thomas. 

5 Job. 

6 Nathaniel. 

1- 2 Samuel Bishop m. Hester ; d. March, 1681 ; and had, inter 

alios, — 

2- 7 Dr. John Bishop, moved from Bradford to Medford, Sept. 20, 1685, 

and died 1739. He m. Sarah . and had — 

7- 8 John Bishop, b. 1722, who m. Abigail, dau. of Dr. Simon Tufts, 

Dec. 7, 1752. He. d. 1791, leaving — 
8- 9 Abigail, b. Oct. 5, 1753 ; m. Dr. James Putnam, of Danvers, 
Nov. 12, 1786. 
10 John, b. Nov. 20, 1755. 

8-10 John Bishop m. Lydia Holmes, dau. of Nathaniel and Rebecca 

(Goodwill) Holmes, who d. Mar. 28, 1807, aged 48. Chil- 
dren : — 



502 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



10-11 Lydia, b. 1784 ; m. N. Parsons ; and d. Oct. 4, 1805. 

12 Rebecca, „ Oct. 2, 1785 ; d. Oct. 26, 1807. 

13 John, „ Aug. 7, 1787 ; „ Sept. 7, 1830. 

14 Nathaniel, „ 1790. 

15 Elizabeth, „ Jan. 1, 1791. 

16 William, „ Mar. 1794 ; „ Nov. 27, 1812. 

10-14 Nathaniel Bishop m. Mary S. Farrar ; and died Feb. 22, 1850. 
He had — 

14-17 John. 

18 Lydia H. m. Samuel H. Jones, of Phil. 

19 Mary R. 

20 Nathaniel, b. 1835 ; d. 1836. 

21 Nathaniel. 

22 Henrietta B. 

23 Heber. 

24 Maria Josephine. 

14-17 John Bishop m. Elinor, dau. of Samuel Sweetser, of Brooklyn, 
N.Y., who d. Aug. 26, 1852, aged 26. Children : — 

17-25 Edward Francis, b. 1851 ; d. 1851. 

26 Elinor S. 

Sarah Bishop m. Benjamin Leathe, Apr. 26, 1738. 



1 BLANCHARD, GEORGE, m. Sarah ; and d. March 18, 

1700, aged 84. He had — 
Sarah, b. Apr. 23, 1690. 
Mercy, „ June 11, 1693. 

2 Joseph Blanchard m. Elizabeth , and had — 

Kezia, b. July 3, 1704. 

Joanna, ,, May 25, 1711. 

Concerning the above, I can only add the following extracts of wills on file 
at East Cambridge : Thomas Blanchard, of Charlestown, will dated 16, 3 mo., 
1654, mentions wife Mary, sons Nathaniel, Samuel, and George, and his son 
Joseph. 

John Blanchard, of Dunstable, March 13, 1693, mentions wife Hannah, 
sons Benjamin, Joseph, James, Thomas, and Nathaniel; and daughters Han- 
nah Reed, Hannah Parish, Sarah, and Mary. 

3 Aaron Blanchard m. Sarah , and had — 

3- 4 Sarah, b. July 30, 1717. 

5 Sarah, „ Dec. 14, 1719 ; m. James Kettell, Apr. 10, 1740. 

6 Aaron, „ May 21, 1722. 

7 Mary, „ Feb. 22, 1724. 

8 Moses, „ Jan. 5, 1726. . 

9 Francis, ,, Sept. 14, 1727. 
10 John, „ Dec. 4, 1728. 

He died September, 1769. 

3- 6 Aaron Blanchard, jun., m. Rebecca Hall, Nov. 13, 1745, and 

had— • 

6-11 Aaron, b. Mar. 15, 1746 ; d. March 21, 1746. 
12 Rebecca, „ Nov. 11, 1749. 

His wife dying, Nov. 13, 1749, he m., 2d, Tabitha , and 

had — 
6-13 Aaron, b. Sept. 2, 1751. 

14 Tabitha, „ May 21, 1753. 

15 Andrew, ,, July 21, 1754. 

16 Rebecca, „ Nov. 5, 1755. 

17 Sarah, „ Mar. 25, 1757. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 503 



18 Joanna, b. Feb. 26, 1759. 

19 John, „ Apr. 21, 1761. 

20 Stephen, „ Julv 1, 1763. 

21 David, „ Sept. 21, 1765. 

22 ' Benjamin, ,. Sept. 8, 1770. 

She d. July 31, 1775. 

6-15 Andrew Blanchard m. Mary Waters, Sept. 14, 1786, and had — 

15-23 Andrew, b. Sept. 2, 1787. 

24 Mary, . „ Oct. 27, 1789. 

25 Sarah H., „ Apr. 26, 1792. 

26 Abraham W., „ Nov. 10, 1794. 

27 James, „ Apr. 13, 1797. 

28 Martha, „ Dec. 4, 1799. 

29 Emily, „ Apr. 5, 1802. 

30 Roxana, „ Aug. 14, 1808. 

6-19 J hn Blanchard m. Rebecca Tufts, Sept. 30, 1784, who d. Nov. 
22, 1821, aged 62 ; and had — 

19-31 Rebecca, b. Aug. 29, 1784. 

32 Ansters D., „ May 24, 1786. 

33 John, „ May 21, 1788. 

34 Aaron, „ Feb. 7, 1790. 

35 Sarah, „ Jan. 1792. 

36 John, „ Apr. 3, 1794. 

37 Gilbert, „ Dec. 21, 1795. 

6-20 Stephen Blanchard m. Elizabeth , and had — 

20-38 Elizabeth, b. Jan. 14, 1789. 
39 Gair, „ Apr. 15, J 790. 

40 Hezekiah Blanchard m. Susanna , and had — 

40-41 Susanna, b. Sept. 15, 1755 ; d. July 16, 1790. 

42 Hannah, „ Feb. 1, 1757 ; „ Aug. 17, 1797. 

43 Hezekiah, „ Sept. 3, 1758. 

44 Winifred, „ May 8, 1760; „ Jan. 15, 1790. 

45 Marv, „ Sept. 8, 1761. , 

46 Elizabeth, „ Nov. 13, 1762. 

His wife dying Jan. 1, 1763, aged 31, he m., 2d, Sarah , and 

had — 

47 Andrew, b. July 27, 1764 ; d. Sept. 19, 1766. 

His wife d. Nov. 28, 1792. He d. Aug. 24, 1803, aged 76. 

48 Caleb Blanchard m. Lucy Hall, Mar. 2, 1788, and had — 

48-48£ Lucy, b. July 28, 1788. 

49 Caleb, „ Apr. 10, 1790. 

50 David, „ Oct. 28, If 92. 

51 Sarah, ,, June 25, 1795. 

52 Mary, „ Aug. 16, 1797. 

53 Hannah, „ July 19, 1799. 

54 Ebenezer Blanchard m. Mary Leathe, Dec. 1, 1766, and had — 

54-55 William, b. Apr. 4, 1767. 
56 Ebenezer, „ Feb. 22, 1769. 

57 Samuel Blanchard, jun., of Maiden, m. Sarah Cutter, Apr. 12, 

1745, and had — 
57-58 Ebenezer, b. Jan. 2, 1766. 

Andrew Blanchard, d. 1815. 

Ebenezer „ „ Jan. 21, 1772, aged 32. 

Ebenezer „ „ Dec. 27, 1771, „ 3. 



504 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Samuel ^ Blanchard d. Sept. 14, 1800, aged 1, c. 
Eunice > „ „ Sept. 18, 1800, ,, 1, c. 

Hannah) „ „ Feb. 18, 1803. „ 9 mos. 

Hezekiah „ „ 1803. 

Joseph „ „ Oct. 24, 1694, „ 43. 

Rebecca „ ., Dec. 28, 1839, „ 65. 

Aaron Blanchard, jun., of Maiden, m. Sar. Cutter, Apr. 12, 1745. 
Sarah ,, m. Joseph Souther, Dec. 22, 1746. 

Hannah. ,, ,, Jedidiah Leathe, of Ch., Jan. 16, 1754. 



1 BRADSHAW, JOHN, son of Humphrey and Patience B., of 
Cambridge, b. June 24, 1655, was one ot the earliest recorded 

tax payers. He m. Mary ; and d. Mar. 19, 1745, aged 89. 

His wife died April 18, 1758, aijed 90, leaving — 

1-2 Mary, b. May 8, 1687 ; d. aged 25. 

3 Sarah, „ Sept. 8,1690; „ Nov. 27, 1690. 

4 Ruth, „ Nov. 29, 1692; m. Benjamin Willis, Feb. 10, 1714. 

5 John, „ Feb. 11, 1694. 

6 Jonathan, „ Dec. 18, 1696. 

7 Samh, „ Mar. 19, 1699. 

8 Samuel, „ Aug. 29, 1700. 

9 Susanna, „ Dec. 23,1702; „ B. Scolly, of Bost., Feb. 17, 1731. 

10 Abigail, „ Apr. 29, 17o4; „ Jona. Watson, Jan. 16, 1729. 

11 Hannah, „ Jan. 31, 1706. 

12 Stephen, „ Sept. 16, 1707. 

13 Simon, „ Oct. 3, 1709. 

1- 5 John Bradshaw m. Mercy Tufts, Mar. 14, 1718, and had — 

5-14 John, b. Feb. 13,1719. 

15 Mercv, ,', Dec. 27, 1721; m. Joseph Newell, Feb. 21, 1740. 

16 Elizabeth, „ Oct. 19, 1722. 

17 Nathan, „ Jan. 4, 1724. 

18 Cotton, „ Dec. 15, 1725; d. Aug. 13, 1765. 

19 Ruth, „ Dec. 22, 1727. 

20 Anna, „ Apr. \, 1730. 

21 Sarah, „ May 1, 1734. 

22 Joshua, „ July 6, 1736. 

23 Peter, „ May 6, 1738. 

24 Rebecca, „ Feb. 6, 1744. 

1- 6 Jonathan Bradshaw m. Mary Watson, Apr. 17, 1722. He was 
a deacon of the church in 1723. He had — 

6-25 Jonathan, b. Feb. 13, 1723. 

26 Abraham, „ Oct. 14, 1724. 

27 Mary, „ May 15, 1729. 

28 Anna, „ Apr. 4, 1730. 

29 William, „ Aug. 14, 1733. 

30 Jonathan, „ Apr. 10, 1735. 

31 Rebecca, ,, Jan. 17, 1737. 

32 Susanna, „ May 24, 1742. 

33 Elizabeth, „ Jan. 20, 1745. 

1- 8 Samuel Bradshaw m. Sarah , and had — 

8-34 Samuel, b. July 18, 1737. 

35 William, „ Apr. 20, 1739. 

36 Sarah, „ Aug. 31, 1740. 

37 Hannah, „ Mar. 10, 1742. 

1-12 Stephen Bradshaw m. Mary , and had — 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 505 

12-38 Mary, b. Feb. 24, 1739. 

39 Susanna, „ July 12, 1741. 

40 Thomas, „ July 8, 1743. 

41 Abigail, „ Mar. 25, 1746. 

42 John, „ July 16, 1748 ; d. July 16, 1748. 

43 Sarah, „ Jan. 27, 1750; „ May 10, 1750. 

44 John, „ Jan. 30, 1751. 

45 Andrew, „ Feb. 26, 1753. 

46 Henry, „ Sept. 13, 1754. 

47 Ruth, „ Feb. 5, 1757. 

48 Zechariah, „ Sept. 27, 1759 ; „ Oct. 16, 1759. 

49 Uriah, „ July 16, 1760; „ Sept. 10, 1760. 

Stephen Bradshaw, d. Dec. 21, 1767. 

Mary, his widow, „ Jan. 12, 1776, aged 58. 

1-13 Simon Bradshaw m. Mary , and had — 

13-50 Simon, b. Mar. 1, 1739. 

51 Isaac, „ Sept. 26, 1740 ; d. Dec. 1741. 

52 Isaac, „ Dec. 10, 1743 ; „ Feb. 14, 1746. 

53 Eleazer, „ Feb. 11, 1746. 

54 Mary „ Sept. 24, 1747. 

55 Catharine,,, July 11, 1749; „ Sept. 15, 1749. 

Mary, widow of Simon, „ July 26, 1764. 

Thomas Bradshaw (perhaps No. 40) m. Mary Tufts, Nov. 26, 
1772, and had — 

56 Thomas, b. Apr. 17, 1773. 

N.B. — He perhaps m., 2d, Martha , who d. July 6, 1808, 

and had as below. He d. Sept. 1, 1801. 

57 Martha, b. 1775 ;„ Aug. 11, 1778. 

58 Susanna, „ Aug. 3, 1778. 

59 John, „ June 3, 1786. 

Rebecca Bradshaw m. Wm. Hall, jun., Feb. 7, 1753. 

Mercy „ ,» Joseph Ellis, of Dedham, May 13, 1756. 

Mary " „ Nathaniel Hall, Apr. 2, 1761. 

g ara h „ Joseph Thompson, Dec. 30, 1718. 

Hannah „ ». Enoch Greenleaf, Feb. 17, 1726. 

Abigail „ >» Jonathan Watson, Jan. 16, 1729. 

Elizabeth „ „ John Muzzy, July 12, 1709. 

"William „ » Elizabeth Lampson, June 5, 1761. 

Susanna ,, » Jonathan Patten, Apr. 14, 1762. 

Stephen „ „ M. Mansfield, Nov. 22, 1763. (OfAlsbury.) 

Susanna „ „ Timothy Newhall, Nov. 1, 1764. 

Elizabeth „ „ Andrew Floyd, of Roxbury, Oct. 31, 1765. 

Simon „ „ Ha'nnah Johnson, July 12, 1770. 

Thomas „ „ Martha Tufts, Nov. 26, 1772. 

Patience „ ,, N. Orchvay, of Chelmsford, Nov. 22, 1733. 

Sarah „ d. Oct. 22, 1775. 



1 BRADSTREET, JOHN, son of Rev. Simon B., of New London, 

and grandson of Gov. Bradstreet, b. Nov. 3, 1676 ; m. Mercy 
Wade, Oct. 9, 169& and had — 

1- 2 Dudley, b. Oct. 26, 1701. 

3 Ann, „ July 7, 1704. 

4 Lucy, „ May 30, 1706. 

5 Patience, „ Feb. 13, 1712. 

6 Mercy, d. Oct. 9, 1712. 

64 



506 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1- 2 Dudley Bradstreet, of Boston, probably the son of John, as 

above, m. Sarah Peirce, of Medfoid, Aug. 18, 1724. 



1 BROOKS, THOMAS, the first of the name in New England, 

came, it is supposed, from Suffolk, England, and settled in 
Watertown, where he had a lot assigned him, on the main road, 
in 1631. He was made a freeman in 1636; and, two years 
afterwards, his name, \\ hich had disapi eared from the Water- 
town records, is to be seen on those of Concord, whet e he was 
constable in 1638. He settled in this latter town, and owned 
larue estates there; in consequence, he was appointed to the 
various town-offices. In 1660, he, with his son-in-law, Timothy 
Wheeler, bought lour hundred acres of land in Medford, for four 
hundred and tour pounds sterling, which he owned at the time of 
his death. His farm in Medford was bought of Edward Collins, 
and thus probably a part of the great Cradock estate. He sold his 
farm in Concord, Oct.- 22, 1664; and he died there, May 21, 

1667. His wife was Grace , who died May 12, 1664. His 

children were — 

1- 2 Joshua, b. freeman, 1652; m. Han. Mason, of Watertown. 

yt Caleb, „ 1632; „ 1654. 

4 Gershom, „ 1672 ; „ Hannah Eckles. 

5 Mary, „ Tim. Wheeler, of Concord. 

(According to Mr. Shattuck, probably others.) 

1- 3 Caleb Brooks lived at Concord until 1679. He m., successively, 

the two daus. of Thomas Atkinson; viz., Susannah, Apr. 10, 
1660; 2d, Hannah. He removed to Medford, where he inhe- 
rited some land lying east from the Wear Bridge. His house 
was situated about mid- way between the bridge and the Lowell 
Railroad, immediately in front of the Woburn Road. It was torn 
down, in 1779, by his great-grandson, Samuel. He died July 
29, 1696, aged 64 ; and his second wife, Hannah, died Mar. 10, 
1702, aged about 70. His children were, by his first wife, — 
3- 6 Susannah, b. Dec. 27, 1661; d. unni., Dec. 23, 1686. 

7 Mary, „ Nov. 18, 1663 ; „ young. 

8 Mary, m. Nathaniel Ball. 

9 Rebecca, d. unm. 

10 Sarah, m. Philemon Russell, Oct. 18, 1705. 

And, by his second wife, — 

11 Ebenezer, b. Feb. 24, 1670. 
^ 12 Samuel, „ Sept. 1, 1672. 

3-11 Ebenezer Brooks m. Abigail, dau. of Dr. Thomas Boylston, of 

Brookline. They joined the church, 1712. He d. Feb. 11, 
1743; his wife d. May 26, 1756, aged 82. Their children 
were — 
11-13 Caleb, b. July 8. 1694. 

14 Ebenezer, „ May 23, 1698. 

15 Thomas, „ Apr. 18, 1705; d. unm. Nov. 14, 1784. 

16 Samuel, „ Feb. 8, 1710. 

17 Abigail, „ Oct. 6,1699; m. Thomas Oakes. 

18 Hannah, „ Apr. 15, 1701; „ Nathaniel Cheever. 

19 Mary, „ Jan. 19, 1704; d. Sept. 3, 1704. 

20 Rebecca, „ July 24, 1706 ; m. Samuel Pratt, Dec. 2, 1725. 

3 -12 Samuel Br"Oks m. Sarah Boylston (sister of his brother's wife), 

and lived iir Medfoid, nearly opposite the site of the house since 
occupied by his descendant, Peter C. Brooks. He died July 3. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 507 

1733. His wife died Oct. 16, 1736, aged 56. Their children 
were — 
--12-21 Samuel, b. Sept. 3, 1700. 

22 Sarah, ,, Apr. 17, 1702; ra. Rev. Shear j ash ub Brown, of Scitu- 
ate, Feb. 12, 1736. 

11-13 Caleb Brooks, m., 2d, Ruth Albree, Mar. 1, 1750, by whom he 
had — 

13-23 Theodore, b. Jan. 2, 1751. 

24 John, bap. May 31, 1752 ; afterwards Governor of this State. 

25 Joseph, d. young. 

26 Elizabeth, „ June 26, 1757 ; m. Rev. Jacob Burnap, 1776. 

27 Hannah, „ Feb. 12, 1760 ; „ Francis Burns, 1794. 

Captain Caleb Brooks, so called, m., 1st, Mary Wyer, and had by her five 
sons and five daughters. His homestead was w hat is now called the Bosquet 
House. He d. Nov. 21, 1766. 

12-21 Samuel Brooks m. Mary Boutwell, of Reading, who brought 

with her a large landed property in that town. His house is still 
standing, about thirty rods above his father's. His will proves 
him to have been one of the few slaveholders in the town. He 
d. July 5, 1768. His wife d. May 25, 1772, aged 74. Their 
children were — 

21-28 Mary, bap. Jan. 1, 1728 ; m. William Whitmore. 

^ 29 Samuel, b. Aug. 24, 1729. 

30 Thomas, „ Jan. 6, 1732. 

31 Edward, „ Nov. 4, 1733. 

32 Jonathan, „ Aug. 17, 1735, d. in college, 1750. 

13-24 John Brooks (Governor of Massachusetts) m. Lucy Smith, of 

Reading, in 1774, who d. Sept. 26, 1791, aged 38. He died 
March 1, 1825. Their children were : — 
24-33 Lucy, b. June 16, 1775 ; m. Rev. O'Kill Stuart. 

34 Alexanders., „ Oct. 19, 1781; killed by explosion of a steam- 

boat, 1836. 

35 John, „ May 20, 1783 ; fell at the battle of Lake Erie, 

Sept. 10, 1813. 

21-30 Thomas Brooks m., 1st, Anna Hall, Feb. 27, 1755, who d. Aug. 

28, 1757 ; 2d, Mercy Tufts, Dec. 29, 1762. He died Mar. 7, 
1799. His second wife died Aug. 26, 1813, aged 71. His chil- 
dren were, by first wife, — 
30-36 Nancy, b. Apr. 6, 1757 ; m. Dr. Stevens. 
By his second : — 

37 Mercy, b. Sept. 3, 1763 ; m. Cotton Tufts, of Weymouth. 

38 Jonathan, „ Oct. 25/1765; d. Mar. 18, 1847. . 

39 Samuel, » young. 

40 Samuel, ,, Oct. 23, 1768 ; lost at sea. 

41 Isaac, d. young. 

42 William, „ „ 

43 Simon, „ Sept. 2, 1772 ; „ 1805. 

44 Lucy, .1 young. 

45 Abigail, ,, „ 

46 Isaac, „ June 3, 1776; „ Oct. 2, 1819. 

47 William S., „ Mar. 5, 1781 ; lives at Biattleboro', Vt. 

48 Thomas, „ Jan. 30, 1783; d. at sea, Jan. 6, 1810. 

49 Edward „ June 18, 1786 ; „ at N. Orleans, 1817. 

50 James, „ Feb. 7, 1788 ; „ „ Havana, 1809. 

21-31 Edward Brooks m Abigail, dau. of Rev. John Brown, of Haver- 

hill. He grad. H. C, 1 7 o 7 , where he was librarian lor a short 
time. He was chaplain on board the frigate " Hancock " in 1777 ; 



508 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

but, returning to Medford, died there, May 6, 1781. His wife 
died Nov. 29, 1800, aged 69. She was, through her mother, a 
lineal descendant of the famous Puritan divine, John Cotton. 
Their children were — 
31-51 Cotton Brown, b. July 20, 1765 ; d. May, 12, 1834.. 

52 Peter Chardon, „ Jan. 6, 1767 ; „ Jan. 1, 1849. 

53 Mary, „ Jan. 27, 1769 ; m. Samuel Gray, of Salem. 

54 Joanna C, „ May 18, 1772 ; „ Nathl. Hall, Nov. 26, 1793. 

30-38 Jonathan Brooks m. Elizabeth Albree, Sept. 26, 1791 ; died 

Mar. 18, 1847. His wife d. Mar. 31, 1826, aged 58. Their 
children were — 
38-55 Samuel Reeves, b. Feb. 1, 1793 ; m. Frances Olney, 1842. 

56 Charles, „ Oct. 30, 1795. 

57 Elizabeth. 

58 Alfred, „ Lydia Warren, 1833. 

59 Lucy Ann. 



31-52 


Peter Chardon Brooks m. Nancy Gorham, and had — 


52-60 


Edward, 


b. Dec. 22, 1792. 


61 


Gorham, 


„ Feb. 10, 1795 ; d. Sept. 10, 1855. 


62 


Peter C, 


„ July 4, 1796 ; „ 1798. 


63 


Ann G., 


„ Feb. 19, 1797. 


64 


Peter C, 


„ Aug. 26, 1798. 


65 


Sidney, 


„ Oct. 7, 1799. 


66 


Charlotte Gray, 


„ Nov. 4, 1800. 


67 


Ward Chipman, 


„ Apr. 21, 1804 ; „ 1828. 


68 


Abigail B., 


„ Jan. 22, 1806 ; „ young. 


69 


Henry, 


„ Feb. 2, 1807 ; „ Sept. 2, 1833. 


70 


Abigail B., 


„ Apr. 25, 1808. 


71 


Horatio, 


„ Sept. 20, 1809 ; „ 1843. 


72 


Octavius, 


„ Oct. 27, 1813 ; „ 1822. 



30-46 Isaac Brooks m. Mary Austin, and had — 

46-73 Margaret, m. Wm. Brigham, June 11, 1840. 

74 Isaac Austin, b. Apr. 13, 1824. 

30-47 William S. Brooks m. Eleanor Forman, and had — 

47-75 Ellen Malvina. 
William. 

76 Horace, m. Mary Emerson, and has three children. 

77 George. 

78 Mary E., „ Frank Goodhue. 

79 Francis. 

80 Lucy Tarbell, „ Cabot. 

38-56 Charles Brooks, author of this history, m. Cecilia Williams, 

June 27, 1827, who d. Mar. 13, 1837, aged 35. He m., 2d, 
Charlotte Ann Haven Lord, Aug. 1, 1839. Has by first wife — 
56-81 Elizabeth Albree. 

Charles John, d. June 8, 1833, aged 1 year. 
82 Charles Wolcott, b. Oct. 1, 1833. 

46-74 Isaac Austin Brooks m. Sarah W. Hill, April 25, 1846, and had — 

74-83 Frederic Cornwell, b. Feb. 16, 1847. 

84 Alfred Austin, „ Sept. 1, 1848. 

85 Mary Isabel „ Apr. 21, 1852. 

86 Edward Corliss, „ Jan. 22, 1854. 

13-26 Elizabeth Brooks m. Rev. Jacob Burnap, of Merrimac, 1776, and 

had — 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 509 



26-87 Horatio G.,b. Jan. 4,1778. 

88 Elizabeth, „ 1779 ; d. 1840. 

89 Ruth, „ 1780 ; „ Nov. 27, 1806. 

90 Hannah „ 1781. 

91 Rebecca, „ May 14, 1784. n „ 10ft0 

92 Abigail, „ 1785 ; „ Aug. 26, 808. 

93 John, „ 1788 ; „ 1827. 

94 Jacob, „ Feb. 17, 1790. 

95 Susan, „ Nov. 14, 1791. 
^.96 Caleb B., „ Feb. 17, 1794.. 

97 Francis, „ Jan. 24,1796. 

98 Lucy, „ Oct. 2,1797; „ 1842. 

99 George W., „ Nov. 30, 1802. 



BROWN, JOHN, m. Anna Tufts, June 24, 1700. 



1 CHAD WICK, JOSEPH, had by wife Ruth — 

1- 2 Joseph, b. July 11, 1714. 
3 Ruth, „ Oct. 21, 1716. 



CHUBB, SARAH, dau. of William and Sarah O, b. Feb. 16, 
1718. 

1 CLARK, JOHN, m Mary , and had — 

!" J J? hn » ] b. July 8, 1752. 

3 Mary, J 

4 Peter, „ Jan. 27, 1755. 

5 Elizabeth,,, „ 4, 1761. 

Elizabeth Clark m. Samuel Page, jun., Mar. 25, 1747. 
Martha „ „ N. Mason, of Watertown, July 6, 17o6. 



CLEAVELAND, ABIGAIL, dau. of Aaron and Abigail C, 
b. May 10, 1706. 

1 CLOUGH, JOHN, b. in Marblehead, 1790 ; moved to Medford, 

1816 ; m., 1820, Mary Ann D. Tainter, dau. of Elisha L. 
Tainter, and had — 

1-2 Mary Ann. 

3 Franklin W., o.s.p. 

4 Sarah F., f.*.j>. 

5 John Henry, d.s.p. 

6 Emily. 

h To h t& ^ 144 6 o He ned to ^^^^^^tt^^: 
returned and se ttled at Stafford -^re he ™. Jane^ dau r mAMetm _ Kjch d Cradock 

S=n J t^tt^^ 

of M. Wotten, and had, with others, ^"^^VI^ Greenwa y. This Mathew had Ma- 



510 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



of Richard Wiunc, by whom he had Damaris, bap. Nov. 1, 1623; and, 2d, Rebecca, dau. of 
Thomas Jordan, of London, and had — 

Mathew, bap. June 3, 1632. 

Thomas, „ Feb. 10, 1631. 

Mary, „ Nov 27, 1637. 
It is my belief that these children all d. young, not being mentioned in his will. There was 
a George Cradock, of Boston, who is said by Huchinson to have been a grandson of the 
governor. However. ;is the historian seems to be in error in the same paragraph in confusing 
the brother and nephew of .Mathew, I prefer the authority of the English heralds, who men- 
tion no descendants of the governor. Samuel, the brother of Mathew, had Samuel, Mathew, 
and Zachary ; of whom Samuel was rector of North Cadbury, and d. Oct. 7, 1706, aged 86. On 
the death of his father's cousin, he succeeded to the estate at Wickham Brook, which remained 
in the possession of bis descendants. lie published a work called " Knowledge and Practice; 
or a Plain Discourse of the Chief Things necessary to be known, believed, and practised iu 
order to Salvation. Useful for private families.'' I have a copy of the third edition, printed 
in London, 1673. It is a very curious and learned collection of texts and comments. There is 
also a funeral sermon extant, preached on his death by Samuel Bury, printed in 1707. There 
were several other families of this name : one settled at Cradock Hall, in Richmond, co. York ; 
another at Husband's Bosworth ; another at Glanmorganshire (descended from Caradoc ap Ynir 
ap Ivor, lord of Dyfed); and a fourth is recorded in Burke's "Commoners." The name is a 
very ancient one, and occurs in the ballads concerning King Arthur. [See Percy's " Reliques." 



CUMMINGS, MARY, dau. of Abraham and Mary C, b. Feb. 19, 
1717. 



CURTIS, THOMAS (1), came from York with his three brothers, 
Richard, John, and William, to Scituate, before 1648. {Vide 
Deane's "History of Scituate.") He had a son, Samuel, b. 
1659, who had a son, Benjamin (2), b. 1699, who m. Rebecca 
House, 1723, and had several children. Of these, Elijah (3), b. 
1740, m. Abigail Sole, 1756, and lived on Curtis's Hill, in Scitu- 
ate. By his second wife, Zeporah Randall, he had two sons, 
Nehemiah and James (4). 

3- 4 James Curtis, b. 1779, m. Desire Otis, 1802, and had several 

children, one of whom was — 

4- 5 James O., b. 1804, at Scituate. He moved to Medford in 1820, 

where he served an apprenticeship with Thatcher Magoun, Esq., 
and has since been engaged in ship-building. He m. Adeline 
Wait in 1826, and had — 

5- 6 George, b. 1827. 
7 Mary Genette, „ 1831. 



I 

1 DEXTER, PAUL, of Medford, m. Elizabeth - , and had — 

1- 2 Timothy, b. Oct. 7, 1767. 

3 Elizabeth, „ Dec. 16, 1769. 

4 Sarah, „ May 2, 1771. 

5 Samuel, „ Nov. 9, 1772. 

6 Anson, „ Apr. 30, 1778. 

1- 2 Timothy Dexter m. Ruth , and had — 

2- 7 Timothy, b. Dec. 4, 1794 ; d. May 10, 1823. 

8 Samuel" Webster, „ Nov. 2, 1796 ; m. Ann Whitney, 1818. 

C 1. Sarah Brigham, 1822. 

9 Anson, „ Oct. 28, 1798; „ } 2. Lucy Richards, 1835. 

( 3. Sarah Joselyn, 1839. 

10 Nancy S., „ Aug. 8, 1800 ; „ John W. Durgin, 1834. 

11 William Mansire, „ Feb. 7, 1802 ; d. July 1,1805. 

12 Jonathan W., „ July 3, 1804 ; „ Nov. 1, 1824. 

13 William M., „ Apr. 10, 1806 ; „ Jan. 1,1807. 

14 Abigail P., „ Dec. 21, 1807; „ Feb. 14, 1855. 

15 Albert E., „ Jan. 30, 1809. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 511 



Children of Nancy S. (No. 10) : — 
10-16 Anson D., b. July 29, 1835. 

17 Maruia A., „ Aug. 18, 1836. 

18 Augusta V., „ Aug. 20, 1838. 

19 Abby R., „ Nov. 19, 1840. 
Sarah F., „ Oct. 28, 1844. 

1- 4 Sarah Dexter m. Thomas Hadley, 1792 ; d. Mar. 1, 1837 ; and 

had — 
4-20 Samuel D., b. June 14, 1794 ; m. B. R. Bellows, May 4, 1813. 

21 Richard W., „ Oct. 1796 ; d. Nov. 5, 1834. 

22 Sarah D., „ Feb. 25, 1799 ; m. C. W. James, Sept. 18, 1823. 

23 Elizabeth W., „ May 21, 1804 ; „ J. Richardson, Dec. 12, 1826. 

4-22 Sarah D. Hadley m. Charles W. James, Sept. 18, 1823, and 
had — 

22-24 Charles H., b. June 24, 1824. 

25 Sarah A., „ Nov. 5, 1825. 

26 Horatio, „ May 26, 1827. 

27 William L., „ July 14, 1829 ; d. Aug. 9, 1833. 

28 Thomas W., \ „ Feb. 23, 1832. 

29 Richard O., 5 „ Feb. 27, 1832. 

22-24 Charles H. James m. Sarah B. Hutchins, Apr. 24, 1850, and 

had — 
24-30 Isabel E., b. Feb. 18,1851. « 

22-26 Horatio James m. Caroline J. Mansfield, Dec. 25, 1851, and 

had — 
26-31 Stanley W., b. Aug. 24, 1853. 



1 DILL, THOMAS, who d. Jan. 29, 1718, had by wife Mary • 

1- 2 Mary, b. Oct. 35, 1706. 
3 Thomas, „ Dec. 19, 1708. 



1 EDES, JOHN, and Martha, his wife, had 



1- 2 John, b _ Jan- 3 171g> 



3 Nathan, ) 



ELIOT, MARY, widow of Francis, of Braintree, d. Jan. 17, 1697. 

She was mother-in-law of Deacon John Whitmore ; and her husband was probably a near rela- 
tive of the apostle to the Indians. My reasons for this surmise are : 1. That one of the brothers 
of Rev. John Eliot mentions in his will that he had property in the hands of this Francis, at 
Braintree. 2. Edmund Ilobart was father of Joshua and of Thomas Hobart. Caleb, son of 
this Thomas, m. Mary, dau. of Francis Eliot. His cousin Peter m. Susanna, dau. of Jacob 
Eliot, and niece of the apostle. Such a coincidence can hardly have resulted without a con- 
nection between these families of Eliots. 



1 FAR WELL, ISAAC, and Elizabeth, his wife, had — 

1- 2 Elizabeth, b. June 15, 1707. 

3 Mary, „ Nov. 19, 1709. 

4 John, „ June 23, 1711. 

5 William, „ Dec. 28, 1712. 

6 Dorothy, ,, Apr. 23, 1715. 



FILLEBROWN, THOMAS, m. Elizabeth Whitmore, March 30, 
1732, and had — 



512 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1- 2 William, b. Oct. 30, 1732. 

3 Fillebrowne, Edward, m. Susanna Peirce, Feb. 16, 1744, and 

had — 
3- 4 Edward, b. Aug. 30, 1744. 

5 Thomas, „ Mar. 2, 1746 ; d. July 29, 1746. 

6 Susanna, „ May 31, 1747. 





FOX, ISAAC, had by Abigail, his wife, — 


- 2 


John, b. Apr. 10, 1679. 


3 


Isaac, „ Dec. 12, 1680. 


4 


Abigail, „ Mar. 11. 1682. k 


5 


Hannah, „ Nov. 15, 1683 ; d. Mar. 7, 1685 


6 


John, „ Apr. 24, 1685. 


7 


Samuel, „ Apr. 30, 1687. 


8 


Ebenezer, „ Oct. 14, 1689. 


9 


Thomas, „ Nov. 10, 1693. 



1 FRANCIS, RICHARD, of Cambridge, m. Alice , and had — 

1- 2 Stephen, b. Feb. 7, 1645. 

3 Sarah, „ Dec. 4, 1646 ; m. John Squires. 

4 John, „ Jan. 4, 1650. 

Richard d. Mar. 24, 1687, aged about 81. 

1- 2 Stephen Francis m. Hannah Hall, Dec. 27, 1670, who d. Apr. 2, 

1683 ; he then m. Hannah Dickson, Sept. 16, 1683. His chil- 
dren were — 

2- 5 Hannah, b. Sept. 28, 1671 ; d. June 17, 1677. 

6 Stephen, „ Aug. 15, 1674 ; „ Sept. 24, 1719. 

7 Hannah, „ June 18, 1677; „ young. 

8 Hannah, „ Apr. 7, 1680. 

1- 4 John Francis, who d. Jan. 3, 1728, m. Lydia Cooper, Jan. 5, 
1688, who d. Aug. 24, 1725, aged 63, and had — 

4- 9 John, b. Oct. 10, 1688 ; d. young. 

10 John, „ Feb. 17, 1690. 

11 Stephen, „ Nov. 2, 1691. 

12 Nathaniel, „ about 1692 ; named in divis. of his father's estate. 

13 Samuel, „ Jan. 17, 1696. 

14 Anna, „ Nov. 2, 1697 ; m. Benj. Dany, July 23, 1724. 

15 Joseph, „ Jan. 5, 1700. 

16 Ebenezer, „ Oct. 30, 1701 ; d. Mar. 3, 1702. 

17 Lydia, „ Apr. 20, 1703; m. Joseph Tufts, Jan 12, 1727. 

18 Ebenezer, „ Mar. 25, 1708; d. Feb. 2, 1727. 

He appears to have m. Eliz. Frost, Sept. 13, 1705; and, in fact, it is possi- 
ble that all these children, after Nathaniel, — that is, from and including No. 
13, — may be the offspring of a different John and Lydia. This, however, is 
but a surmise ; and, from the wills, I judge a very improbable one. 

4-10 John Francis, and Dorothy, his wife, who d. Sept. 25, 1737, aged 

33, had — 
184 Mary, b. Jan. 26, 1732 ; m. William Tufts; d. 1812. 
He d. Aug. 31, 1750. 

4-11 Stephen Francis, blacksmith, is mentioned in his brother Ebene- 

zer's will (18). Stephen F. is apparently the one who m. Love, 
widow of Josiah Wyman, of Woburn, July 14, 1740. He had 
children — 
11-19 Stephen, b. Mar. 7, 1741 ; d. June 26, 1749. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 513 

20 Seth, b. Jan. 14, 1744; d. Oct. 31, 1791. 

He d. July 13, 1771. His wife d. June 22, 1767. 

4-12 Nathaniel Francis m. Sarah , and had — 

12-21 Nathaniel, b. Jan. 6, 1732. 

22 Benjamin, „ Nov. 11, 1734. 

23 Richard, „ Jan. 2, 1736. 
23£ William, bap. Feb. 6, 1737. 

4-13 Samuel Francis had by his wife, Mary, — 

13-24 Anna, b. Nov. 28, 1726 ; m. Josiah Dixon, June 16, 1748. 

25 Samuel, „ Jan. 1728. 

26 Sarah, bap. Oct. 26,1729. 

His wife d. Apr. 21, 1774 ; and he followed, Sept. 29, 1775. 

4-15 Joseph Francis and Elizabeth had — 

15-26£ Elizabeth, b. Nov. 7, 1736. 

27 Lydia, „ Dec. 12, 1737. 

28 Joseph, ,. July 12, 1741. 

He d. Feb. 1, 1749 ; and his widow d. Dec. 2, 1786. 

29 Nabhall Francis m. Sarah Whitmore, May 16, 1723 ; and, from 

the dates, may have been a son of John No. 4, born about 1694 ; 
but all these sons of this John seem, if rightly traced, to have 
married comparatively late in life ; and the unusual length of the 
generations seems to call for another generation to be inserted. 

30 John Francis, jun., who d. Apr. 2, 1776, had by wife Dorothy — 

30-31 Manning, b. Nov. 20, 1748 ; d. Sept. 6, 1749. 

32 Phebe, „ May 25, 1753. 

33 Deborah, „ Apr. 21, 1755 ; m. John Lagood, Feb. 9, 1755. 

34 Sarah, „ May 22, 1757. 

35 John, „ Apr. 6, 1760. 

36 David, „ June 23, 1764. 

37 Mary, „ May, 1767. 

38 Ebenezer Francis had by wife Rachel Tufts, whom he m. Nov. 

15, 1733 — 

38-39 Susanna, b. Nov. 28, 1734 ; m. Samuel Cutter, Apr. 28, 1757. 

40 Abigail, „ Oct. 6, 1736. 

41 Lucy, „ Mar. 12, 1739. 

42 Sarah, „ June 6, 1741 ; m. Thomas Wyer, Mar, 8, 1766. 

43 Ebenezer, „ Dec. 22, 1744. 

44 William, „ Apr. 20, 1746. 

45 Thomas, „ July 15, 1748. 

46 Aaron, „ Feb. 16, 1751. 

47 John, „ Sept. 28, 1753. 

Ebenezer d. July 16, 1774. 

12-21 Nathaniel Francis m. Phebe , and had — 

21-48 Nathaniel, b. Oct. 13, 1752. 

49 Jonathan, „ Jan. 27, 1755. 

50 Stephen, „ July 25, 1757. 

51 Joseph, „ Aug. 8, 1759. 

52 Phebe, „ Sept. 13, 1761. 

53 Thomas, „ May 3, 1763. 

54 Caleb, „ Mar. 8, 1766. 

55 Joshua, „ July, 1767. 

12-22 Benjamin Francis m., 1st, Lydia , who d. January, 1768 ; 2d, 

Sarah Hall, Oct. 20, 1768 ; and d. June 5, 1798. He had — 
22-56 Benjamin, b. Sept. 6, 1759 ; d. in Baltimore. 
57 James. 

65 



514 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



58 William, lives in Newburyport. 

59 Convers, b. July 14, 176G; lives in Wayland. 

60 Ebenezer. 

61 Simon. 

62 Nathaniel. 

63 Stephen. 

64 Sarah, m. Mr. Bond, of Middletown. 

65 Lydia, ,, Job Wyeth, of Cambridge. 

12-23 Richard Francis, by wife Hannah Winship, whom lie m. Mar. 

20, 1760, had — 
23-66 Richard, b. Dec. 16, 1760. 

67 Loring, „ June 7, 1762. 

68 Samuel, „ Aug. 26, 1764. 

69 Daniel, „ June 25, 1766. 

22-59 Convers Francis m. Susanna Rand, May 11, 1788, who d. May 

7, 1814, aged 48, and had — 
James, b. June 12, 1789 ; lives at Wayland. 
Susanna, „ Oct. 7, 1790; m. J. K.Frothingham, ofCharlestown. 
Mary, „ May 29,1793; „ Warren Preston; d. Sept. 21, 1847. 
Convers, „ Nov. 9, 1795 ; of Harvard College. [books. 

Lydia, ,, Feb. 11, 1802; m. David L.Child ; has written several 

Lydia Francis, m. Ebenezer Blount, Feb. 17, 1739. 
Sarah „ „ Josiah Smith, of Lexington, Nov. 15, 1750. 

Lydia „ ,, Benjamin Tufts, March 4, 1779. 

Hannah „ „ Isaac Amsdcll, of Marlborough, June 7, 1725. 
Lydia „ „ Nathaniel Pierce, Mar. 1, 1685. 

Elizabeth „ d. Nov. 12, 1750. 

Samuel „ jun., „ Oct. 15, 1775. 

and his wife „ May 15, 1775. 

Jane, widow of John Francis, „ Dec. 16, 1800, aged 63. 



FULTON, JOHN, was born in Boston, 1736, and moved to Med- 
ford in 1772, where he owned land bounded by the street which 
now bears his name. His father is said to have emigrated 
from Ireland, to enjoy liberty of conscience, and was one of the 
proprietors of the Federal-street Church. He m. the oldest 
daughter of Samuel Bradlee, of Boston, whom he left a widow, 
with ten children. She died, aged 95. One of her daughters 
m. Nathan Wait, of Maiden, who was b. 1763, and d. 1840, in 
Medford ; in which town one of his daughters now lives, the 
wife of Jonathan Perkins, Esq. 



1 GARDNER, THOMAS, m. Mary Willis, June 21, 1704, and 

had — 
1- 2 Elizabeth, b. Aug. 13, 1721. 



1 GILCHRIST, JAMES, was a shipmaster, out of Boston and 

Salem, in the China and East India trade. He died June 14, 
1825, aged 52, leaving, by his wife, Susan Wyman, — 

1- 2 Emily, m. Samuel Crosby, of Charlestown. 

3 Margaret A., „ Matthews W. Green. 

4 John James, „ Sarah Hubbard. Is Chief Justice of N. H. 

5 Hannah S. 

6 Susan. 

7 Martha R. 

8 Daniel S. 

9 Charles Ilcliry, d. June 4, 1849, aged 24. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 515 

1- G Susan Gilchrist m. Francis Low, Esq., of Jamaica Plains, and 
has — 

6-10 Susan, m. Ebenezer Bacon, Esq. 

1 1 Emily, „ William Bacon, Esq. 

12 Edward. 

13 Ellen. 

14 Francis. 

GILLEGROVE, JOHN, d. Feb. 3, 1718. 



1 GREATTON, JOHN, and Sarah, had — 

1- 2 John, b. Mar. 25, 1713. 

3 Sarah, „ Nov. 5, 1714 ; d. July 4, 1715. 

4 Sarah, „ Nov. 15, 1716. 

5 Marv, „ Sept. 9, 1718. 

6 Thomas, „ May 8, 1722. 



1# GREENLEAF, STEPHEN, m. Mary , and had - 

1*- 1 Gardiner, b. Jan. 9, 1726. 

2 Elizabeth^ „ Dec. 7, 1727. 

3 Mary, „ Apr. 25, 1734. 

4 Stephen, „ Aug. 5, 1736. 
Rebecca, „ Mar. 19, 1739 



a 



6 Isaac, „ May 27, 1744. 

He was probably a descendant of Edmund Greenleaf, f Newbury 16d8, 
and brother of Enoch 2*, mentioned below . [ Fide » History of Newbury." ] 
2* Enoch Greenleaf m. Hannah Bradshaw, Feb. 17, 1726, and 

had — 
2*- 7 Hannah, b. Dec. 23, 1726 ; d. Apr. 21, 1736. 

8 John, „ Oct. 30, 1729. 

9 Edmond, „ Aug. 17, 1731 ; „ Mar 9, 1736. 

10 Judith, „ July 26,1733. 

11 Samuel, „ Oct. 24, 1735 ; „ Jan. 7, 1741. 

12 Edmond, „ Jan. 21, 1740. 

1*_ 1 Gardiner Greenleaf m. Catharine Thompson, Jan 21, 1748, 

who died Apr. 8, 1768, aged 38. He died Nov 21, 1808, 
leaving — 
1-13 Gardiner, b. Aug. 20, 1748. „..-..- , A 177ft 

14 Rebecca, „ Sept. 25, 1750 ; m. Benjamin Floyd, Apr. 30, 1770. 

15 Mary, „ Oct. 11, 1752 ;„ Samuel Kidder, May 19, 1778. 

16 Jonathan, „ June 9,1754. 

17 Catharine,,, May 23, 1756 ; „ E. Thompson, May 21, 1778. 

18 Hannah, „ Mar. 3, 1758 ; „ Francis lufts, June 12, 1785. 

19 Gardiner, „ July 14, 1765. 

20 Abigail, „ Apr. 1, 1768. 

1*- 4 Stephen Greenleaf m. Maria , and had — 

4-21 Eliza Mason, b. Dec. 1, 1764. 
1*- 6 Isaac Greenleaf m. Mary Tufts, Dec. 10, 1772 ; but, his wife 

dying June 24, 1776, aged 25, he m. Sarah, dau. ot Jacob 
Rhoades, Apr. 30, 1778. She was b. Dec. 1, 1756, and d. Nov. 
6, 1829, aged 72. He d. Feb. 19, 1807, leaving — 
6-22 Isaac, b. Feb. 3, 1779 ; m. Hepzibah Shed. 

23 Sarah, „ Sept. 1780 ; d. unm. Sept. 15, 1807. 

24 Mary, „ Jan. 29, 1782 ; „ „ July 11, 1805. 

25 Hannah H., „ Apr. 5, 1784 ; m. Henry Reed. 



510 HISTORY OF MEDFOIII). 



26 Rebecca, b. Nov. 6, 1786 ; m. John Burridge, jun. 

27 Abigail H., „ Nov. 24, 1788 ; „ Thomas Shed. 

28 Eliza H., „ Sept. 14, 1791 ; d. unm. May 1, 1821. 

29 Harriet, „ Nov. 14, 1794 ; m. Henry Rogers. 

1-13 Gardiner Greenleaf, m. Lydia , and had — 

13-30 Gardiner, b. May 5, 1789. 

1-16 Jonathan Greenleaf m, Joanna Manning, May 5, 1778, and 
had — 

16-31 Jonathan, b. Feb. 16, 1784. 

32 Mary Manning, „ Dec. 28, 1786. 

33 William, „ Oct. 7, 1788. 

34 Joseph, „ Jan. 31, 1794. 

35 Sarah, „ Oct. 25, 1797. 

6-22 Isaac Greenleaf m. Hepzibah Shed, Feb. 18, 1803, who was 
b. April 6, 1780, and d. Sept. 21, 1827. He had — 

22-36 Hepzibah,* b. May 17, 1804 ; m. Gard. Fifield, Dec. 28, 1823. 

37 Mary, „ Sept. 1, 1807 ; d. young. 

38 Sarah A., „ Nov. 13, 1808 ; m.I.B.Mott; d.Dec.2, 1836, s.p. 

39 George G., „ Jan. 26, 1813. 

40 Lydia S., b, Dec. 16, 1816 ; „ Rufus C. Smith. 

41 Edward Henry, „ Sept. 25, 1819 ; „ Car. S. Colby, of Westport. 

42 Manasseh K., „ Mar. 25, 1821 ; d., unm., May 26, 1849. 

* Hepzibah had, by Gardner Fifield, — 
George G., b. Oct. 27, 1824 ; m. Sarah E. Richardson. 
James F., „ Sept. 15, 1826 ; „ Tamzay Holbrook. 
Frederick I., „ Oct. 31, 1828; d. April 16, 1830. 
Frederick P., „ Oct. 24, 1831; „ May 23, 1851. 
GeorgiannaL, ,, Sept. 8,1836. 
Window W., „ Oct. 2, 1840. 
William E., „ Mar. 19, 1845. 
I 



1 GREGG, CAPT. JAMES, was b. in Ayrshire, Scotland, and m. 

Jane Cargil. He embarked for America in 1718 ; and, landing 
at Cape Elizabeth, spent the winter there. He was afterwards 
one of the sixteen first settlers of Londonderry. He had — 
William. 

1- 2 John. 

Samuel. 
Thomas. 
Elizabeth. 

1-2 John Gregg m. Agnes Rankin, and had — 

James. 
Hugh. 
John. 
William. 
George. 

2- 3 Samuel. 

Joseph. 
Benjamin. 
Elizabeth. 
Janet. 

2- 3 Samuel Gregg m. Agnes Smiley, and had — 

John. 

3- 4 Hugh. fc 

Samuel. 




A 



w* 









■ 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 517 



George. 

Sarah. 

Ann. 

Mary. 

Elizabeth. 

3- 4 Hugh Gregg m. Sarah Leslie, and lived at New Boston, N.H., 

where he had — 
Rosamund. 
James. 
Alexander. 
Jane. 
Hannah. 
John. 
Leslie. 
Mary. 
Reuben. 
Ann. 

4- 5 Samuel. 

4- 6 Samuel Gregg m. Jane Wilson, and had — 

Jane. 
Elizabeth. 
Mary. 
Sarah. 

5- C Alexander. 

7 Samuel. 

He m., 2d, Lydia Bartlett, and had — 

8 James B. 

5- 6 Alexander Gregg m. Jane Moore Clark, of New Boston, N.H., 

Oct. 3, 1820 ; and had by her — 

6- 9 Frances Anne. 

10 Robert Mack. 

1 1 Jane Wilson. 

Ho removed to Medford in 1827. 

5- 7 Samuel Gregg m. Ruth Wadsworth Richards, of New Boston, 
and had — 

7-12 Martha Dalton. 

13 Samuel W. 

14 Caroline A. 

15 Ahby Maria. 

16 Jane A. 

17 Abby Trask. 

5- 8 James B. Gregg m. Mary Bailey, of Newbury ; and d. April 15, 

1848, leaving one son, — 
8-18 James Bartlett. 



GROVES, MATHEW, son of Mathew and Naomi, b. July 9, 
1702. 



HALL, WIDOW MARY, of Cambridge, had lands given her by 
that town, 1662, when she united with the church. Her chil- 
dren were all adults then. She had — 

2 John. 

3 Susanna. 

4 Stephen. 

5 William. 

• ? * J 



518 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

6 Mary, m. Israel Meade, Feb. 26, 1669. 

7 , Hannah, ,, Stephen Francis, Dec. 27,1670. 

8 Lydia, „ Gershom Cutter-, 1 mo. 6,1677-8. 

1- 2 John Hall was of Concord, 1658. He m., 4 mo. 2, 1656, Elizabeth 

Green, of Camb., dau. of Percival and Ellen Green. John was 
of Camb., 1667 to 1675. He bought lands at Medford, June 
27, 1675, of Caleb Hobart, which he mortgaged to him the same 
day as security, and redeemed May 2, 1881, for two hundred and 
sixty pounds. His children were — 
2- 9 Elizabeth, b. 18, 7 mo., 1658; m. John Oldham. 

10 John, „ 13, 10 „ 1660. 

11 Nathaniel,,, 7, 6 „ 1666. 

12 Mary, „ 1668 ; m. John Bradshaw. 

13 Stephen, „ 1670. 

14 Percival, „ Feb. 11, 1672. 

15 Susanna. 

16 Jonathan, „ 1677. 

17 Sarah, „ 1679. 

1 8 Thomas. 

1- 4 Stephen Hall was of Concord; afterwards (in 1685) of Stow, of 

which latter place he was representative in 1689. He m., Dec. 
3, 1663, Ruth Davis, and had — , c . 
4-19 Samuel, b. Dec. 8,1665. v H n^ 1 vf«lUs 

20 Ruth, „ Jan. 12, 1670. 

21 Mary, „ June 1, 1677. 

22 Elizabeth, „ Apr. 7, 1685. ^ » bg^ 

1- o William Hall, m., 18, Smo., 1658, Sarah Meriam, of Concord, 

where he lived. He d. Mar. 10, 1667. 

2-10 John Hall, of Medford, m., Dec. 2, 1687, Jemima Syll, of 
Camb. ; and d. Nov. 14, 1720. He had — 

10-23 John, b. Sept. 11, 1689; d. Oct. 2, 1689. 

24 John, „ Sept. 19, 1690. 

25 William, „ June 24, 1692 ; „ Oct. 4, 1694. 

26 William, „ Nov. 1, 1694 ; „ Jan. 3, 1695. 

27 Elizabeth, „ June 10, 1696. 

28 Andrew, „ May 5, 1698. 

29 Jemima, „ Oct. 8, 1700; m.,Jan.l4, 1725, Z.Alden, of Boston. 

30 Joseph, „ Nov. 30, 1702. 

31 Stephen, „ Jan. 19, 1704. 

32 Martha, „ Aug. 20, 1706. 

(And perhaps two others.) 

2-11 Nathaniel Hall m., April 16, 1690, Elizabeth Cutter, and 
had — 

11-33 Elizabeth, b. Jan. 9, 1691. 

34 Nathan, „ Oct. 25, 1694 ; d. Sept. 22, 1773, s.p. 

35 Susanna, „ Aug. 30, 1696. 

36 Sarah, „ Sept. 8, 1698. 

37 Tabitha, „ Nov. 9, 1699 ; m. Wm. Benford, Sept. 16, 1723. 

38 William, „ Feb. 9, 1705. 

2-13 ' Stephen Hall, of Charlestown, m., 1st, Grace , who d., of 

smallpox, Nov. 12, 1721 ; and, 2d, Feb. 5, 1739, Mrs. Anne 
Nowel. He d. Sept. 3, 1755, aged 85. His children were — 
13-39 Stephen, b. Nov. 5, 1693. 

40 Grace, „ June 17, 1697 ; m. Isaac Parker. 

41 Esther, „ Dec. 27, 1700 ; „ Dec. 18, 1729, Peter Eades. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 519 



42 Josiah, b. May 12, 1705. 

43 Willard. 

44 Ruth, „ 1708; m. { JM^ft % ^ W< * er ' 

\ 2d, Dec. 11, 173o,T. Symmes. 

2-14 Peecival Hall, of Sutton, 1720 ; m. at Woburn, Oct. 18, 1G97, 

Jane Willis. He was one of the founders of the church at Med- 
ford ; was one of the original proprietors of Sutton ; was repre- 
sentative to the Provincial Congress ; and deacon. He died 
Dec. 25, 1752. Children: — 
14-45 Percival, b. Nov. 13, 1698; m. Lydia Bounds; d. *./>. 

46 Jane, „ May 15, 1700. 

a. Mary. 

b. Elizabeth. 

c. Stephen, „ Apr. 2, 1709. 

d. Martha. 

47 Thomas, „ Aug. 15, 1712. 

48 Zaccheus, ) T „ .... ., 

49 Susanna, \ » Jan ' H, 1714-15. 

50 Grace, „ Oct. 7, 1717. 

51 Willis, „ Mar. 7, 1719-20. 

2-16 Jonathan Hall m., 1702, Lydia Cutter, who d. Jan. 1, 1754. He 

d. Jan. 12, 1754, leaving — 
16-52 Jonathan. 

53 Lydia, b. Apr. 27, 1705 ; m. Jas. Tufts, of Chas., June 27, 1722. 

54 Gershom, d. Dec. 9, 1718. 

2-18 Thomas Hall was deacon of the church at Medford; m., 1st, 

Dec. 22, 1702, Hannah Cutter ; 2d, Abigail , who d. Sept. 8, 

1745 ; 3d, Apr. 16, 1747, Elizabeth Davis. He d. Jan. 25, 
1757. His children were, by first wife, — 
18-55 Thomas, b. Oct 5, 1703. 
By second marriage : — 
56 Edward, b. Apr. 11, 1707. 
67 Abigail, „ Oct. 24, 1708. 

58 Ruth, „ July 1, 1712 ; d. Oct. 30, 1714. 

59 John, „ Mar. 17, 1715. 

60 Ruth, „ Aug. 20, 1719. 

61 William,,, June 11, 1721. 

62 Samuel, „ Nov. 27, 1723 ; „ May 7, 1726. 

63 Samuel, „ May 7, 1725 ; (?) d. Mar. 30, 1729. 

64 Rebecca, „ Feb. 28, 1727 ; m., Nov. 13, 1745, A. Blanchard, jun. 

65 Samuel, „ Jan. 22, 1730. 

10-24 John Hall (Captain "), m. Elizabeth Walker, Apr. 27, 1720; and 
d. Aug. 8, 1746. His children were — 

24-66 John, b. Nov. 24, 1720. 

67 Elizabeth, „ Mar. 24, 172!. 

68 Susanna, „ May 9, 172t. 

69 Timothy, „ Mar. 13, 1724. 

70 Samuel, „ Apr. 2,172$; m. Mary Hall; and d., 1772, s.p. 

71 Joseph, „ Mar. 29, 173). 

72 Jemima, „ Dec. 2, 1733. 

73 Nathaniel, „ June 7, 173*. 

74 Ebenezer, „ July 21, 1737. 

75 Zachariah, „ Jan. 9, 1740. 

10-28 Andrew Hall m., Nov. 22, 1722, Abigail Walker, who d. Aug. 

26, 1785, aged 88. He d. June 24, 1750. Children : -^ 
28-76 Andrew, b. Oct. C, 1723. 



520 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 



77 


Abigail, 


b. Apr. 15, 1725 ; m. Fitch. 


78 


James, 


„ Apr. 17, 1727 ; d. Aug. 20, 1729. 


79 


Sarah, 


„ Dec. 1, 1729 ; „ Nov. 28, 1792. 


80 


Benjamin 


, „ Jan. 27, 1731. 


81 


James, 


„ Apr. 8, 1733 ; „ Nov. 8, 1763. 


82 


Anna, 


„ Mar. 17, 1735 ; m. Brooks. 


83 


Richard, 


„ Nov. 12, 1737. 


84 


Isaac, 


„ Jan. 24, 1739. 


85 


Josiah, 


„ Jan. 11, 1741 ; d. May 1, 1743. 


86 


Josiah, 


„ Oct. 17, 1744. 


87 


Ebcnezer, 


„ May 31, 1748 ; „ Mar. 21, 1835. 


88 


Enoch, 


„ Oct. 30, 1749 ; „ Apr. 2, 1750. 


10-31 


Stephen 


Hall, jun., m. Mary , and had — 


31-89 


Willis, 


b. Aug. 20, 1733. 


90 


Stephen, 


„ Mar. 7, 1735. 


91 


Aaron, 


„ Apr. 23, 1737. 


92 


Mary, 


„ Apr. 27, 1739. 


93 


Ezekiel, 


„ Apr. 14, 1741. 


94 


Elizabeth 


, „ May 15, 1743. 


95 


Jane, 


„ Apr. 11, 1746. 


96 


Edmund, 


„ July 15, 1749. 


13-39 


Stephen 


Hall, the lieutenant, m. Elizabeth 




1764. 


He d. Sept. 3, 1755. Children : — 


39-9 7 


Mary, 


b. Apr. 17, 1719. 


98 


Stephen, 


„ Aug. 10, 1721. 


99 


Sarah, 


„ Oct. 14, 1724. 


100 


Elizabeth, 


„ Dec. 19, 1725 ; d. Sept. 9, 1749. 



, who d. Feb. 3, 



13-43 Willard Hall grad. H. C. 1722, and was the minister of West- 

ford. He m. Abigail Cotton, of Portsmouth, who d. Oct. 20, 
1789, and, dying Mar. 19, 1779, left — 
43-101 Willard, b. June 12, 1730. 

102 Elizabeth, „ Oct. 24, 1732; m. 5 l s }> £ ale . b S ? m £ e !\ 

( 2d, Benjamin Fletcher. 

103 Abigail, „ July 19, 1734 ; „ Abbot, of Billerica. 

104 Ann, „ Apr. 22, 1736 ; „ L. Whiting, of Hollis, N.H. 

105 Mary, „ July30,173S; „ Jonas Minot, of Concord. 

106 Martha, „ June 8,1741; d. young. 

107 Stephen, „ May 28, 1743. 

108 Willis, „ Nov. 14, 1747. 

109 Isaiah, „ Jan. 19, 1749. 

110 Martha, „ July 16, 1752. 

111 Grace, m. Benjamin Whiting. 

14-46 c. Stephen, of Sutton, was quarter-master in the old French war ; 

m., Apr. 17, 1745, Avidow Sarah (Taft) Reed, and had — 
46c.-llla. Stephen, b. Jan. 24, 1'46. 
b. Joseph, „ Feb. 25, 1'48. 

o.E,Uabeth, - ■* * W- -■ {%££££?"*■ 

d. John, „ Apr. 26, 1752. 

e. Samuel R., „ Jan. 21, 1755. 
/. Emerson, „ Apr. 21, 1"58. 

g. Lucy, „ Jan. 7, 1761 ; d. Nov. 7, 1777. 

14-47 Thomas Hall m. 1st, June 30, 1737, Judith Chase ; 2d, Hul- 

dah ; removed late in life to Cornish, N.H., and there 

died, 1797. He had — 
47-112 Percival, b. Mar. 15, 1740-1. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 521 



113 Thomas, b. Mar. 23, 1742-3. 

113 a. Sarah, „ Aug. 28, 1745. 

b. Thomas, „ Dec. 1747. 

c. Mary, „ June 10, 1750. 

d. Betty, „ June 9, 1753. 

e. Moses, „ Aug. 27, 1755 ; d. in Guildhall, Vt. 
/. Judith, „ Sept. 16, 1757. 

And by second wife, — 

114 Moody, b. Feb. 25, 1760. 
114 a. Hiddah, „ July 26, 1761. 

14-48 Zaccheus removed to New Braintree, m. Mary , and had 

(born in Sutton) — 
48-114 b. Elias, b. Sept. 23, 1743. 

c. Mary, „ Sept. 17, 1745. 

d. Zaccheus, „ July 1, 1749. 

e. Aaron. 

14-51 Willis Hall, of Sutton, was deacon, representative, &c, and 

a man of wealth. He m., 1st, May 15, 1746, Martha Gibbs, 
who d. Feb. 1, 1756 ; 2d, Anna, dau. of William and Anna 
Coye ; and had — 
51-115 a. Willis, b. May 29, 1747. (A captain in the revolutionary army.) 
b. Jacob, „ Feb. 1749. 
c.Martha,,, Sept. 12, 1751. 

d. Grace, „ Oct. 30, 1753. 

e. Olive, „ Dec. 11, 1755. 

And by second wife, — 

/. Jonathan, b. Oct. 21, 1757. 

g. Josiah, „ Oct. 5, 1759. 

A. Israel, „ Jan. 21, 1762. 

116 Nathaniel, „ Apr. 9, 1764. 
116 a. Joseph, „ Jan. 26, 1767. 

16-52 Jonathan Hall m., 1st, Feb. 17, 1731, Elizabeth Tufts ; 2d, 

Nov. 22, 1739, Anna Fowle; and d. Dec. 25, 1753. He 
had — 
52-117 Jonathan, b. Oct. 16, 1733. 

118 Samuel, „ Nov. 2, 1740. 

119 . Elizabeth, „ Oct. 22, 1742; d. Oct. 27, 1742. 

120 Daniel, „ Oct. 9, 1744. 

121 Gershom, „ July 21, 1746; „ Apr. 7, 1767. 

122 Ebenezer, „ Sept. 12, 1749 ; „ Feb. 1776. 

123 Daniel, „ Dec. 9,1751; „ Feb. 25, 1773. . 
123J » „ Jan. 2,1754; „ Jan. 2, 1754. 

18-56 Edward Hall m. Abigail , who d. Aug. 31, 1748. He 

d. Jan. 28, 1749. Children : — 
56-124 Abigail, b. Aug. 10, 1733 ; m. Samuel Giles, Jan. 31, 1784. 

125 Joshua. 

126 Luke, „ 1741. 

127 Mary, „ Apr. 26, 1746; d. Jan. 28, 1749. 

24-66 John Hall m., Oct. 22, 1746, Mary Keisar, and had — 

66-128 John, b. July 24, 1747. 

129 Henry, „ June 29, 1749. 

130 Moses, „ Nov. 28, 1750. 

24-69 Timothy Hall m., June 29, 1749, Mary Cutter, and had — 

69-131 Mary, b. Feb. 15, 1750. 

132 Timothy, „ Dec. 12, 1751 ; d. Jan. 21, 1753. 

133 Timothy, „ Oct. 24, 1753. 

66 



522 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 

134 Susanna, b. June 3, 1756. 

135 Ammi-Ruhamah, „ Aug. 27, 1758. 

136 Samuel, „ Oct. 5, 1760. 

137 John, „ Feb. 9, 1763. 

138 Sarah, „ May 12, 1765. 

24-71 Joseph Hall m., Nov. 24, 1757, Abigail Brooks, and had — 

71-139 Caleb, b. Oct. 27, 1758. 
140 Joseph, „ Dec. 2, 1759. 

24-74 Ebenezkr Hall m., Nov. 3, 1763, Susanna Floyd, and had — 

74-141 Abigail, b. Apr. 6, 1767. 

142 Ebenezer, „ May 10, 1770. 

143 Gilbert, „ Sept. 27, 1771. 

24-75 Zachariah Hall, who d. Oct. 30, 1795, m. Mehitable , 

and had — 
75-144 Samuel, b. June 11, 1772. 
145 Darnel, „ Oct. 17, 1774. 

28-76 Andrew Hall (a ship-master), m. Sarah , and had — 

76-146 Abigail, b. Jan. 28, 1751. 

28-80 Benjamin Hall m. Hepzibah Jones (b. May 6, 1734), May 3, 

1752. He d. Feb. 2, 1817. His wife d. Aug. 10, 1790, aged 
56 ; and had — 
80-147 Benjamin, b. Aug. 9, 1754. 

148 Ephraim, ,, June 1, 1756. 

149 Fitch, „ Jan. 28, 1759. 

150 Andrew, „ Feb. 26, 1761. 

151 Hepzibah, „ June 25, 1764; m. John B. Fitch, Jan. 27, 1785. 

28-81 James Hall m. Mary Watson, Mar. 27, 1760, and d. Nov. 18, 

1763. He had — 
81-152 Mary, b. Jan. 15, 1761. 

28-83 Richard Hall m., Nov. 9, 1762, Lucy Jones, who was b. Oct. 

13, 1745, and d. Feb. 10, 1826. He d. June 27, 1827. 
Child : — 
83-153 Richard, b. Aug. 29, 1764 ; d. July 16, 1765. 

28-84 Isaac Hall m. Abigail Cutter, Oct. 8, 1761, and had — 

84-154 Abigail, b. Oct. 12, 1762. 

155 Elinor, „ July 23, 1764. 

156 Isaac, „ Aug. 5, 1766 ; d. May, 17, 1770. 

157 James, „ Dec. 25, 1768. 

158 Isaac, „ June 20, 1774; „ July 22, 1775. 

159 Rebecca, „ May 28, 1776. 

28-87 Ebenezer Hall m., Apr. 12, 1770, Martha Jones, sister of the 

wives of Richard and Benjamin, ante. She was born June 
19, 1750 ; and d. Dec. 22, 1835. He d. Mar. 21, 1735, and 
had — 
87-160 Ebenezer, b. May 11, 1771. 

161 Richard, „ Feb. 24, 1774; d. Oct. 19, 1798. 

162 Ephraim, „ Feb. 17, 1776; m., Feb. 2, 1819, J. T. Reynolds. 

163 Martha, „ June 24, 1778; d. June 23, 1780. 

164 Lucy, „ Nov. 28, 1782; m. Josiah Bradlee, of Boston. 

165 Isaac, „ Mar. 12, 1783 ; „ Susan Mitchell, of Nantucket. 
..... n , nl ,„„„ ( 1. Ann Grav, Dec. 20, 1815. 

166 Andrew, „ Oct. 21, 1788 ; „ { 2 . AnnG . Modr, Sept., 1819. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 523 

31-89 Willis Hall m. Sarah. , who d. Nov. 11, 1790; and 

had — 

89-167 George H., b. Jan. 8, 1763. 

168 Willis, „ Sept. 10, 1764. 

169 Nathaniel, „ Mar. 12, 1767. 

170 Ann, „ Oct. 10, 1770. 

171 Mary, „ Sept. 28, 1772. 

172 Edward, „ Jan. 19, 1778. 

173 Sarah, „ Oct. 12, 1780. 

174 Elizabeth, „ Jan. 13, 1783. 

31-90 Stephen Hall, the 4th, had wife Mary , and had — 

90-175 Stephen, b. Dec. 22, 1770. 

176 Mary, „ June 22, 1772. 

177 Elizabeth, „ Mar. 10, 1777. 

178 Zechariah, „ Dec. 16, 1778. 

31-91 Aaron Hall m., Jan. 3, 1760, Rebecca Pool, and had - 

91-179 Rebecca, b. Nov. 9, 1760. 
31-93 Ezekiel Hall m. Anna , and had — 

93-180 Ezekiel K j u i y 15, 1766. 

181 Elizabeth, ) J 

182 Samuel, „ July 1769. 

39-98 Stephen Hall m. Sarah , and had — 

98-183 Sarah, > b> g t 23> m4> 

184 Lucy, ) 

185 Stephen, „ Jan. 3, 1746. 

186 Simon, „ Apr. 9, 1747. 

187 Jacob, „ Jan. 9, 1749. 

188 Elizabeth, „ Mar. 11, 1750 ; d. Mar. 20, 1750. 

189 Francis, „ May 18, 1751. 

190 Elizabeth, „ May 10, 1753. 

191 Mary, „ Apr. 3, 1757. 

43-101 Willard Hall m. , and had — 

101-192 Willard. 

193 Isaiah, d. s. p. 

194 James » in Vermont, leaving one child. 

195 Joseph F., * ^- Miss ^oore and Uves in Groton 

196 Abigail, » 1st, Oliver Spauldmg; 2d, Giles. 

197 Sarah, d. unmarried. 

198 Ruth. 

43-107 Stephen Hall grad. H. C. 1765, where to" was tote. Was 

educated for the ministry, but never settled Hem. Mary 
Holt, widow of Moses Holt, jun., and settled m Portland, 
where his wife died, July 27, 1808, aged 54. Children : - 
wnerems armorer at Harper's Ferry, and 

known by " Hall's Carbine ; " 
107-199 John, b. Jan. 21, 1778 ;■{ father of willard P. Hall, late 

[m.C. from Missouri. 

200 Martha, „ Oct. 10, 1779. 

201 Mary, „ Dec. 13, 1783. 

202 William A., „ Oct. 6, 1785. 

203 Willard, „ June 5, 1788. 

204 Martha C, „ Jan. 26, 1792 ; d. Nov. 26, 1847. 

43_108 Willis Hall lived and died at Westford. He married Mehi- 

table Pool, and had — 
108-205 Willard, b. Dec. 24, 1780. 



524 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



206 


William C, b. 


• 1783. 


207 


Benjamin. 




208 


Elizabeth. 




209 


Mehitable, 


m. Stephen Dow. 


210 


Hannah, 


„ T. R. Wright, of Pepperell, 


211 


Frances. 





Willard (205) has been Secretary of State in Delaware, 1811-1814; 
Representative to Congress, 1816-1820; District Judge U. S. Ct., May 
6, 1823, to date ; besides taking a conspicuous part on State questions. 

He m. , and has one child, b. 1809, who m. Dr. Robert R. 

Porter, of Wilmington. 

46 c.-l 11a. Stephen Hall, of Sutton, m. Abigail , and had — 

llla.-211a. Abigail, b. Dec. 7, 1770 ; m. Amos Batchelder. 

b. Stephen, „ Mar. 4, 1773. 

c. Sarah, „ Aug. 20, 1775; ,, Elkanah Otis. 

d. Betsey, „ Mar. 4, 1778 ; „ Capt. D. Stone, of Oxford. 

e. Simon, „ Mar. 27, 1780. 

C now living in Sutton, on land 
/. "William, „ Mar. 9, 1783 ; < inherited from Percival, his 

( great-grandfather. 
g. Mary, „ Feb. 22, 1785 ; m. Eli Servey. 
h. Calvin, „ Jan. 23, 1789 ; is of Sutton. 

46 c.-l 11 b. Joseph Hall, a mason, resided in Richmond, Vt. ; and d. 

there, Nov. 22, 1822. He ^n., in 1769, Mary Trow- 
bridge, of Newton, b. Nov., 1750; d. Dec. 28, 1824; 
and had — 
111 6.-211 i. Thaddeus, b. Mar. 28, 1770. 

j. Sarah, „ Nov. 26, 1771 ; m. Orin Stevens. 

k. Amasa, „ June 4, 1774 ; d. young. 

I. Abner, „ July 25, 1775 ; „ „ 

m. Polly, „ May 15, 1777 ; m. James Butler. 

n. Joseph, „ Sept. 14, 1779 ; is living. 

o. Louis, „ Dec. 7, 1781 ; d. in infancy. 

p. Edmund T., ,, June 1,1783; is living. 

q. Ethen, „ Sept. 12, 1785 ; m. Isaac Hallock. 

r. Asher, „ June 25, 1787. 

s. Anna, „ Apr. 19, 1789 : ,, Aaron Curtis. 

t. John, „ 1791; d. young. 

u. Betsey, „ 1793 ; „ ,, 

v. Lucy, „ Sept. 22, 1796 ; m. Nathan Smith. 

46 e.-lll d. John Hall, of Sutton, m., Jan. 28, 1777, Dolly Ward, and 

had — 
Lucy, b. Jan. 10, 1778 ; m. Joseph Nelson. 

Thaddeus, „ Nov. 30, 1779. 
Jonas, „ Jan. 13, 1782. 

Dolly, „ Feb. 12, 1785; „ John Haskell. 

John, „ Oct. 28, 1787 ; a scythe manufacturer. 

Harriet, „ Mar. 4, 1792; m. Jonathan Putnam. 

Hannah, „ Jan. 9, 1794 ; ,, Smith, of Shrewsb. 

Increase S., „ Apr. 3, 1797 ; d. s.p. 

46 c-1 lie. Samuel Heed Hall was a clergyman in Croy den, N.H. ; 

Guildhall, Vt. ; and in Rumford, Me., where he d., Nov., 
1814. He m. Elizabeth Hall, and had — 

Hannah, m . Michael Amy. 

Lucy, „ Caleb Amy. 

Betsey, „ John Whitter. 

Samuel, „ Hannah Swinerton, 

Reed. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 525 



Chloe, m. Asa Swinerton. 

Hezekiah, was a clergyman. 

Sarah. 

Josiah Brewer. 

Theodosia. 

Samuel Read, was a clergyman in Brownington, Vt. 

46 c.-lll/. Emerson Hall, of Boscawen, N.H., m. Tabitha Goldthwait, 

of Northbridge, and had — 
Tabitha. } 
Lydia. ) 
Eleazer. 
Ebenezer. 
Lucy. 

47-112 Percival Hall was a physician and surgeon in the revolu- 

tionary war ; and d. at Boston, Sept., 1825. He m. Mar- 
garet Ware, of Wrentham, who d. aged 81. Children : — 
112-212 Jairus.* 

213 Sewall. 

214 Jeffries. 

215 Bradshaw, d. in Castine, 1826, leaving six children. 

216 Timothy, b. 1769 ; father to Rev. J. Hall, of Newcastle, Me. 

* A lawyer; for more than twenty years a member of Vermont 
Legislature ; Judge Court of Common Pleas, &c. ; d. in Boston in 1849. 

48-114 e. Aaron Hall m. , and had — 

114 e. -216 a. Daughter, m. Asa Parsons. 

6. Apphia, „ Sylvester Judd, Esq., of Southampton. 

c. Irene, „ Samuel Matthews. 

d. Drusilla, „ Johnson, of Hadley. 

e. Arethusa, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. 
/. Richardson, lives in Greenfield, Me. 
g. Samuel, is a clergyman. 

51-115 g. Josiah Hall, of Sutton, was a captain in the revolu- 

tionary army. He m., 1785, Mary Marble, and had — 

\\5g.-2\Qh. Oliver, b. Dec. lt 1785 ; J &r many years town-clerk of 
* \ Sutton, where he now lives. 

•*. Mary, „ Apr. 7, 1788 ; m. Alpheus Marble. 

j. Almira, „ June 4, 1790 ; d. Sept. 18, 1795. 

k. Deborah, „ Jan. 18, 1793 ; „ Sept. 12, 1795. 

I. Hannah, „ Dec. 13, 1795 ; m., $ \ f' -^s Carter. 

' £ 2d, Cyrus Faulkner. 

m. Mindwell, „ Feb. 8,1798; ,, James Phelps. 

n. Anna, „ June 17, 1800. 

o. Sarah, „ May 7, 1804 ; d. May 11, 1839.. 

51-116 Nathaniel Hall grad. D. C. 1790; settled minister at 

Grantville, N.Y., where he d. July 31, 1820. He m., Jan. 
22, 1798, Hannah, dau. of Dea. Daniel Emerson, of Hollis, 
b. Dec. 7, 1773, and d. May. 22, 1832. Children : — 
116-217 Hannah E., b. Nov. 9, 1798 ; m. Rev. Abijah Crane. 

218 Willis, ,.Ap, Umu\^t:^ZJv. 

2.9 Nathaniel E., \ %£%£ *£"> """ « 



220 Eliza. 

221 Richard B. 



222 Daniel E., „ May 9, 1810 ; { Y ' C> 1 5 34 A ; m ' ?/ ^ O ?o 

J ' ' ( nedy ; d. Apr. 24, 1852 



526 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



223 David Brainerd, a minister at Cleveland, N.Y. 

224 Mary. 

225 Edwards, Ham. C, 1840. 

5 1-116 a. Joseph removed to New Salem ; m. Anna , and had — 

116a.-225a. Nancy, b. Apr. 19, 1793. 

b. Joseph M.., „ ISov. 2, 1794. 

c. Lucinda, ,, June 19, 1797; m. Carter Eliot. 

d. Louis, „ Nov. 2, 1799. 

e. Willard, „ May 25, 1802 ; of Milbury. 

52-117 Jonathan Hall m. Mercy , and had — 

117-226 Elizabeth, b. March 19, 1755. 

52-118 Samuel Hall served his apprenticeship with his uncle, Daniel 

Fowle, the first printer in N.H. He published, in 1768, the 
"Essex Gazette," at Salem, whence he removed, in 1775, to 
Cambridge, where he published the " N. E. Chronicle." He 
moved this latter to Boston the next year. He published the 
" Salem Gazette" again, in 1781 ; and, in 1785, the " Massa- 
chusetts Gazette." In 1789, he opened a book-store in Boston, 
which he sold to Lincoln and Edmands in 1805, to whom Gould 
and Lincoln are the successors. He died Oct. 10, 1807. 

66-130 Moses Hall m. Martha , and had — 

130-227 John, b. Oct. 5, 1776. 

228 Moses, „ Dec. 8, 1777. 

229 Martha, „ Mar. 7, 1780. 

230 Mary Kiesar, „ Sept. 16, 1783. 

231 Moses, „ Dec. 13, 1785. 

232 Elizabeth, „ Apr. 11, 1787. 

233 James, „ May 29, 1788. 

74-142 Ebenezer Hall m. Eunice , and had — 

142-234 Martha, b. Apr. 20, 1798. 
235 Mary, „ Feb. 6, 1802. 

80-147 Benjamin Hall m. Lucy, dau. of Dr. Simon and Lucy Tufts, 

Nov. 20, 1777, and had — 
147-236 Dudley, b. Oct. 14, 1780. 

237 Lucy, „ Mar. 27, 1783. 

238 Hepzibah, „ Feb. 17, 1785. 

80-149 Fitch Hall m., May 14, 1783, Judith Brasher, and had — 

149-239 Fitch, b. Jan. 25, 1785. 

240 Benjamin, „ Feb. 27, 1786. 

241 William, „ Mar. 21, 1790. 

80-150 Andrew Hall m., Apr. 19, 1789, Eunice Fitch, and had — 

150-242 Charles J., b. Nov. 1, 1790. 
243 George B., „ Oct. 5, 1791. 
243£ Eunice. 

87-160 Ebenezer. Ha.ll m., March 8, 1796, Eunice, dau. of Capt. Isaac 
Jones, of Boston, and had — 

160-244 Martha, b. Apr. 20, 1798. 

245 Richard, „ Aug. 22, 1800 ; m. Mrs. Mary A. Hayward. 

246 Mary Jane, „ Feb. 7, 1802. 

247 "William J., „ May 20, 1805. 

248 Ann Louisa, „ Apr. 17, 1807 ; d. Dec. 14, 1834. 

249 Susan Mitchell, „ Nov. 7, 1808. 

250 Lucy J., „ Oct. 15, 1812. 

251 Ebenezer, ,, Jan. 11, 1815. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 527 



89-169 Nathaniel Hall m., Nov. 26, 1793, Joanna Cotton Brooks, 
and had — 

169-252 Caroline, b. Sept. 25, 1794. 

25 2£ Mary Brooks. 

253 Nathaniel, ,, Jan. 4, 1799 ; d. young. 

254 Edward B., „ Sept. 2, 1800 ; H. C. 1820. 

254£ Nathaniel, „ Sept. 23, 1805 ; min. of 1st ch., Dorchester. 

255 Peter Chardon, „ Dec. 26, 1809. 

98-189 Francis Hall m. Elizabeth , and had — 

189-256 Elizabeth, b. May 6, 1785. 

147-236 Dudley Hall has now living, of ten children, — 

236-257 Dudley C. 

258 George D. 

259 Horace D. 

260 Hephza, m. Henry Bradlee. 

169-255 Peter C. Hall m. , and had — 

255-261 Ann Rose. 

262 Jane Webb. 

263 Anna. 

264 Fanny Maria. 



1 HANCOCK, SOLOMON, m. H. Tufts, May 14, 1729, and had — 

1- 2 Hannah, bap. 1731. 

3 Samuel, „ Apr. 2, 1732. 

4 Mary. „ Dec. 2, 1733. 

5 Elizabeth, „ Nov. 20, 1737. 

6 Samuel, „ Jan. 7, 1739. 

For further records of the Hancocks, see N. E. Hist, and Gen. Register for 
October, 1855. 



1 HARRIS, ABNER, m. Elizabeth , and had — 

1- 2 Elizabeth, b. Mar. 15, 1710. 

3 Abner, „ May 30, 1711. 

4 Jackson, „ Jan. 9, 1712. 

5 Thomas, „ Mar. 9, 1715. 



1- 





HATHAWAY, 


NOAH, b. 


in Freetown, Mass., May 24, 1809 ; 




m. Hannah M 


. Reed, b. June 23, 


1811 ; and had- rN.H. 


2 


Henrietta Maria 


b. Mar. 14, 


1831 ; 


m. 


H. C. Vose, of Claremont, 


3 


George W., 


„ May 11, 


1832. 




[1854. 


4 


Ellen L., 


„ Sept. 8, 


1833; 


>> 


Wm. Butters, jun., May 2, 


5 


Gustavus W., 


„ Nov. 7, 


1834. 






6 


Walter S., 


„ May 31, 


1836; 


d. 


Sept. 30, 1850. 


7 


Nelson F., 


„ Feb. 10, 


1838. 






8 


Eliza G., 


„ Apr. 2, 


1839. 






9 


Rodney C, 


„ June 24, 


1840. 






10 


Susan E., 


„ Oct. 24, 


1841. 






11 


Henry R., 


„ Apr. 4, 


1843. 






12 


Florence A., 


„ Sept. 12, 


1844. 






13 


Wilber A., 


,, May 9, 


1846. 






14 


Roland H., 


„ Sept. 24, 


1847. 






15 


Noah S., 


„ July 7, 


1849. 




' 


16 


Edward A., 


„ May 25, 


1851. 






17 


Martha A., 


„ July 7, 


1852. 






18 


William C, 


,, Sept. 14, 


1853; 


«> 


Sept. 27, 1853. 



528 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1 HO WE, JOSEPH, was born in Boston, 1710,where he died in 1779. 

He m., 1st, Mercy Boardman, in 1740, who d. in 1747; 2d, 
Rebecca, dau. of Capt. Ralph Hart, by whom he had three sons 
and five daughters. 

1- 2 Joseph Howe, jun., b. of the above, in 1753, d. in Boston, 1818. 

He m., 1st, Sarah Davis, 1776, by whom he had three sons ; 2d, 
Margaret Cotton, in 1787, — issue, one daughter ; and, 3d, Sarah 
Simpson, 1789, — issue, one son and three daughters. 

2- 3 John Howe was born in Boston in 1784 ; and moved to Medford, 

1813. He m. Rebecca Hey wood, of Concord, Mass., in 1808, 
who d. 1820, leaving four sons, one being Humphrey B. (4) ; 
2d, m. Sarah L. Symmes, dau. of Nathan Wait, Esq., of Med- 
ford, who d. 1837. 

3- 5 Henry Wait, b. 1822. 
6 George, ,. 1824. 

3d, he m. Elizabeth W. Butters, 1849. 

3- 4 Humphrey Barrett Howe b. 1815 ; m. Susan Esther Withington 

in 1852. 

3- 5 Henry Wait Howe m. Nancy Symmes, dau. of Zechariah Symmes, 

of Winchester, Ind., in 1853. 

3- 6 George Howe m. Angeline A. Johnson, 1853, who d. 1854, leav- 

ing one daughter. 



KENRICK, EDWARD, was a descendant of George K., of 
Scituate, freeman, 1635.. He had two sons by his first wife, — 
Thomas and Solomon ; and one by his second, — Jonathan. 
This last d. aged 38, leaving three sons, — Samuel, Anson, and 
Jonathan. Anson had a son, David, who had David, jun. 
This last, David, jun., was the father of Coleman C. Kenrick, for 
the past six years a resident of Medford. 



The KIDDER family was settled, for several centuries, at Maresfield, in the county of Sus- 
sex, some seventy miles from London. It is believed that the only persons now living of that 
name can he traced back to this common stock. In England, the most distinguished bearer 
of this name was Richard Kidder, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He was born in 1633, at East 
Grinstead, the birthplace of the American emigrant, whose kinsman he was. He was Rector 
of St. Martin's, London; Prebend of Norwich, 1681 ; Dean of Peterborough, 1689; and Bishop 
of Bath, 1691. He was killed, during the great gale of Nov. 27, 1703, by the fall of a chimney 
on the bishop's palace at Wells, which crushed him and his wife while at prayers. His daugh- 
ter, Ann, died unmarried; and her only sister, Susanna, married Sir Richard Everard, one of 
the early governors of South Carolina, and has numerous descendants alive in that State. 

The pedigree of the American branch, in the direct line, is: Richard Kidder (1) was living 
at Maresfield, 1492; his son, Richard (2), d. 1549, leaving eldest son, Richard (3), who d. 1563; 

m. Margaret , who d. 1545. This Richard (3) had five sons, of whom John (4), the 

third, m. Margaret Norman, of Little Horsted, and d. 1599, leaving two sons and several 
daughters. John (5), oldest son of the last, baptized 1561, m. Joan Beorge, and died in 1616, 
leaving four sons. James (6), the youngest of these, b. 1595, was the father of James (7), b., 
1626, at East Grinstead, who moved to New England, and married Anna Moore, of Cainb., N.E., 
in 1649. This foregoing pedigree is condensed from one in the History of New Ipswich, pre- 
pared by Frederick Kidder, a co-editor of that work. 

7 James Kidder resided first at a farm on the north side of Fresh Pond 

and Menotomy River, Avhence he removed to Shawshine, now 
Billerica. He had twelve children, of whom Samuel (8) was 
the youngest, who left children. He was b. Jan. 7, 1666 ; m. 
Sarah Griggs, Dec. 23, 1689, and lived near Porter's Hotel, in 
Camb., where the names of Kidder's Swamp and Kidder's Lane 
still preserve his memory. He was deacon of the church ; and 
the inventory of his estate was £1,138. He had six children; 
the oldest was — 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 529 



8- 9 Francis Kidder, of Medford, b. 1692; m. Mary Prentice, Feb. 

13, 1718. He d. Jan. 21, 1724 ; and his widow m. Philip Cook 
in 1775. His children were — 
9-10 Mary. 

11 Samuel, b. 1720. 

12 James. 

13 Francis. 

9-11 Samuel Kidder m., 1st, Mary Tompson, March 20, 1744, who d., 

aged 42, Mar. 30, 1766, leaving — 
11-14 Samuel, b. Sept. 17, 1746. 

15 Elizabeth, „ Dec, 6, 1750. 

He m., 2d, Joanna , who d. Oct. 19, 1819, aged 79. He 

d. Mar. 6, 1777, and had — 

16 Joanna, b. Oct. 19, 1770; d., unm., Apr. 6, 1811. 

17 Rebecca, „ Sept. 11, 1772 ; m. Abijah Usher, Dec. 20, 1795. 

18 Mary, „ Apr. 28, 1774. 

19 James, „ Apr. 30, 1776. 

11-14 Samuel Kidder, jun., m. Mary Greenleaf, May 19, 1778, who d. 

Apr. 1, 1830, aged 78. He d. Dec. 16, 1821, leaving- 



14-20 Mary, b. Apr. 1, 1779 

21 Samuel, „ Sept. 4, 1781 

22 William, „ Dec. 10, 1784 
'23 Thompson, „ Apr. 17, 1788 

24 Francis, „ July 16, 1789 

• 25 Joseph, „ Apr. 30, 1791 

26 James, „ Nov. 1, 1793 



m. Benjamin Abbot, of Andover. 

,, Hannah P. Rogers. 

„ Charlotte Adams. 

„ M. A. Cannell ; d. July 5, 1840. 

„ E. Blanchard; d. May 11, 1827. 

,, N. J. Homer, and is still alive, 
d., Mar. 20, 1837, unm. 



Ephraim Kidder m. Rachel , and had — 

SroSy, } b - *** 2 > 1696 - 

Mary Kidder m. Caleb Brooks, Jan. 1, 1767. 

Isaac ,, of Woburn, m. Ann Goodwin, Nov. 25, 1775. 

Mary „ of Charlestown, d. Jan. 19, 1779. 

Susanna „ d. Nov. 5, 1801, aged 19, £ ch< of Jas> ^ g usan _ 

Charles „ „ June 13, 1802, „ 15, V -R-^rW 

Rebecca „ „ Oct. 23, 1814, „ 12, ) na ^ iaaer - 



1 KNOX, MOSES, son of John and Nancy (Cochran) Knox, was 

b. in Pembroke, N.H., Aug. 4, 1812 ; m., May 23, 1839, Abi- 
gail, dau. of Edward S. and Persis Phipps Walker, of Charles- 
town ; and has — 

1- 2 Joseph Henry, b. Aug. 27, 1842. 

3 William Penn, „ Mar. 2, 1845. 

4 Mary Adelaide, „ Feb. 11, 1849. 

5 Moses Edwards, „ Mar. 5, 1855. 



Sir Robert Lawrence, of Ashton Hall, was a descendant of Sir Robert Lawrence, knighted 
about 1190. This Sir Robert, of Ashton, had a third son, Nicholas Lawrence, of Agercroft, 
whose fourth son was John, who d. 1461, leaving a son, Thomas L., of Ramburgh, in Suffolk. 
This Thomas d. 1471, leaving John Lawrence, oldest son, whose will is dated 1504. John had 
an only son, Robert, whose son, John (will dated 1556), was the father of Henry, John, William, 
and Richard. Of these, John d. May, 1590 : his oldest son, John, settled at Wisset (will dated 
1607), and had son, Henry Lawrence, of Wisset. This Henry was father of John and Robert; 
and with this John, who emigrated to America, our record commences. 

1 LAWREN T CE, JOHN, of St. Alban's, came to Watertown in 

1635. He m., 1st, Elizabeth , who d. Aug. 29, 1663; and 

2d, Nov. 2, 1664, Susanna Batchelder. He d. at Groton, July 
1 1, 1667. His seventh child was — 

67 



530 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1- 2 Enoch Lawrence, b. 5th day, 1st mo., 1648-9 ; m., Mar. 6, 1667, 

Ruth Shattuck ; and d. Sept. 28, 1744. His children were — 

2- 3 Nathaniel, b. Feb. 21, 1678. 

4 Daniel, „ Mar. 7, 1681. 

5 Zechariah, „ 16,5mo.,1683. 

6 Jeremiah, „ May 1, 1686. 

2- 3 Nathaniel Lawrence m. Anna ; and d. Sept. 12, 1765. 

His wife d. Sept. 31, 1758, aged 73. The second son was — 

3- 7 James Lawrence, b. Aug. 26, 1705 ; m. Mary Martin, 1733 ; and 

d. Jan. 27, 1800. His wife d. 1799, aged 87. He had — 

7- 8 Lemuel Lawrence, b. 1745 ; m. Sarah "Williams, Jan., 1768 ; 

and, dying April 24, 1733, left — 
8- 9 Sarah, b. Oct. 13, 1768. 

10 Lemuel, „ Aug. 6, 1770. 

11 Olive, „ Feb. 13, 1772. 

8-10 Lemuel Lawrence m. Mercy Perham, Nov. 5, 1794; and d. 

Sept. 20, 1832. He had — 
10-12 Lemuel, b. Sept. 1, 1795. 

13 Daniel, „ Sept. 12, 1797. 

14 Clarissa, „ Oct. 29, 1799. 

15 Sarah, „ Aug. 23, 1806. 

10-13 Daniel Lawrence m. Elizabeth Crocker, Sept. 25, 1823, and 
has — 

13-16 Mary Ann, b. Jan. 29, 1827. 

17 Daniel Warren, „ Oct. 8, 1830. 

18 Samuel Crocker, „ Nov. 22, 1832. 

19 Elizabeth Maria, „ Aug. 5, 1835 ; m. G. L. Barr, Nov. 20, 1851. 

20 Rosewell Bigelow, „ Dec. 22, 1838. 

21 "William Harrison, „ July 24, 1840. 

13-17 Daniel W. Lawrence m. Mary Ellen "Wilder, Oct. 18, 1851, and 

has — 
17-22 George W., b. Nov. 8, 1852. 



LEATHE, BENJAMIN, son of Francis and Sarah, b. July 12, 
1714. 



1 LETHERBEE (or LARIBEE), STEPHEN, had, by wife Mar- 

garet, — 
1- 2 Hannah, b. May 14, 1707/ 

3 Margaret, „ Feb. 22, 1709. 

4 John, „ May 14, 1715. 



1 LOCKE, FRANCIS, m. Elizabeth Winship, Feb. 25, 1713, and 

had — 
1- 2 Samuel, b. Jan. 15, 1714. 
Elizabeth, „ June 17, 1716. 



1 MANSOR, WILLIAM, and Lydia, his wife, had • 

1- 2 Lydia, b. Apr. 10, 1716; d. Aug. 20, 1717. 
3 Lydia, „ July 29, 1718. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 531 



1 


NUTTING, EBENEZER, and Lydia, had 


1- 2 


Lydia, b. Nov. 5, 1692. 


3 


Jonathan, „ Jan. 31, 1695. 


4 


Sarah, „ Aug. 11, 1698. 


5 


Ebenezer, „ Aug. 9, 1700. 


6 


James, „ Jan. 31, 1704. 


7 


Josiah, „ Feb. 28, 1706. 


8 


John, „ Apr. 23, 1709. 


9 


Benjamin, ,, S0pt. 7, 1711. 


10 


Mary, „ Mar. 1, 1714. 



OAKES, THOMAS, m., 2d, Abigail Brooks, Oct. 27, 1720 ; and 
had by her, who d. June 31, 1728, — 

2 Abigail, b. Sept. 2, 1721. 

3 Thomas, „ Jan. 28, 1723. 

4 Ebenezer, „ Sept. 28, 1725. 

5 Sarah, „ Mar. 2, 1727. 

6 Caleb, ,, June 31, 1728. 

His first wife, Elizabeth, d. Feb. 3, 1718. 



1 OLDHAM, THOMAS, of Scituate, 1650, and in 1635 aged ten per- 

haps ; m. Mary, dau. of Rev. William Witherell, of Scituate, 1656, 
by whom he had Mary, Thomas, Sarah, Hannah, Grace, Isaac (2), 
Ruth, Elizabeth, and Lydia. He d. 1711. 

1- 2 Isaac Oldham, b. about 1670, went to Pembroke about 1703, where 

he m. Mary Keen, and had two daus., and a son, — 

2- 3 Isaac Oldham, who m. Mary Stetson, and had — 

3- 4 Isaac. 

5 Hannah. 

6 Deborah. 

7 David. 

8 Jonathan. 

9 Mary. 

10 John. 

11 Daniel. 

12 Lydia. 

13 Ruth. 

14 Abel, of Winchester, N.H. 

3- 8 Jonathan Oldham m. Patience Clapp, of Scituate, and had — 

8-15 Joseph Oldham, who m. Grace Tilden, of Marshfield, and had — 

15-16 Joseph, d. s.p. 

17 Jonathan, • m. Eunice Faxon.* 

18 Grace. 

* He had Clara, Loring, and Eunice. 



1 OSGOOD, DAVID, b. Oct. 25, 1747 ; m. Hannah Breed, Nov. 1, 

1786, who was b. Dec. 28, 1747 ; and had — 
1- 2 Mary, b. Sept. 12, 1787. 

3 Lucy, „ Apr. 8, 1789 ; d. Apr. 22, 1789. 

4 Lucy, „ June 17, 1791. 

5 David, „ Dec. 23, 1793 ; m. Mary Ann Elder. 



PARKER, BENJAMIN, who d. Oct. 26, 1761, m. Mary Willis, 
Apr. 22, 1714. She d. Aug. 20, 1763. 



532 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1 PATCH, THOMAS, came from Somersetshire, England, and set- 

tled in Wenham, Mass. He had six sons, as given below ; and 
two daughters, names unknown. 

1- 2 Thomas. 

3 Isaac, b. 1682. 

4 Ephraim. 

5 Timothy. 

6 Stephen. 

7 Simon. 

1- 3 Isaac Patch m. Edith Edwards, and lived in Newton, afterwards in 

Concord, and lastly in Groton, where he d., July 12, 1762, aged 
80. His wife survived him, and d. aged about 100 years. His 
children were — 
3- 8 Lois. 
9 Sarah. 

10 Thomas. 

11 Lydia. 

12 Isaac. 

13 Edith. 

14 Ebenezer. 

15 Lois. 

16 Ephraim. 

17 Mary. 

3-14 Ebenezer Patch m. Sarah, dau. of Jacob Wright, in 1746. He 

had fourteen children, eight of whom died young. The sur- 
viving children were — 
14-18 Jacob, b. Apr. 5, 1747. 

19 Simon, „ July 11, 1749. 

20 Oliver, „ Feb. 10, 1751. 

21 Benjamin, „ May 23, 1754. 

22 Ruth, „ June 23, 1763. 

23 Ede, „ Apr. 2, 1769. 

Of these children, Oliver was wounded in the right shoulder at the battle 
of Bunker Hill. Simon was wounded in his thigh at the battle of White 
Plains ; and, being carried home to Groton, died there, Dec. 31, 1776, aged 27. 
The mother, Sarah (Wright) Patch, after the death of her husband, Jan. 19, 
1777, m. Samuel Chamberlain, December, 1784; and d. June 12, 1793. 

14-20 Oliver Patch m. Alethea, dau. of Silas Blood, Jan. 26, 1778, and 

had — 

Nov. 30, 1778. 
Sept. 14, 1780. 
Jan. 8, 1783. 

Jan. 4, 1785 ; d. Aug. 19, 1803. 
Oct. 5, 1788 ; left Marlb., 1805, and never returned. 
29 Nahum, „ Mar. 30, 1792. 

20-24 Oliver Patch m. Mary, dau. of Oliver Shattuck (a descendant 

of William Shattuck, of Watertown, 1642), and lived in Haw- 
ley. He had — 
24-30 Lucy Longley, b. Sept. 3, 1805. 

31 Henry, „ Nov. 30, 1806; d. Jan. 4, 1849. 

32 Fidelia, „ Feb. 14, 1808 ; „ June 1, 1836. 

33 Electa S., „ July 23, 1810. 

34 Franklin, „ July 3, 1815. 

24-34 Franklin Patch m. Ann, dau. of John Brown, of Eastham, Jan. 

19, 1843, and lived in Boston. He moved to Medford, 1849, 
and had — 



20-24 


Oliver, 


b. 


25 


William, 


>» 


26 


Reuben, 


>» 


27 


Henry, 


ii 


28 


Luther, 


ii 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 

34-35 Emerett O., b. Mar. 8, 1844. 

36 Herbert L., „ Oct. 16, 1845 ; d. Nov. 10, 1847. 

37 Charles A., „ Oct. 1, 184S ; „ Dec. 4, 1848. 

38 Oscar L., „ Jan. 13, 1852. 



533 



PATERSON, JAMES, son of Andrew and Elizabeth, b. Oct. 5, 
1707. 



1 PATTEN, WILLIAM, m. Abigail Willis, Jan. 3, 1701, who d. 

Feb. 19, 1725, aged 48 ; and had — 
1- 2 John, b. Jan. 1, 1713. 

3 Aaron, „ Apr. 16, 1717. 

4 Thomas,,, Eeb. 20,1719. 

William Patten d. Sept. 7, 1741, aged 69 ; b. 1672. 

5 William Patten m. Anna Seccomb, Nov. 17, 1727, and had — 

5- 6 George, b. Sept. 4, 1729 ; d. aged 3 mos. 

7 Lucy, „ Dec. 24, 1730. 

8 Anne, „ Mar. 4, 1732. 

9 George, „ Nov. 9, 1733 ; „ Feb. 24, 1740. 

10 Jonathan, „ July 7, 1738 ; „ July 28, 1790. 

11 Rebecca, „ Apr. 11,1742; „ same year. 

12 Abigail, „ June 2, 1744. 

13 Thomas Patten m. Mary Tufts, Jan. 10, 1745, who d. Aug. 28, 

1764; and, 2d, Mary Binford, Jan. 8, 1765. He d. Nov. 26, 
1786. Children : — 
13-14 Mary, b. July 10, 1747. 

15 John Patten m. Priscilla , and had — 

15-16 Mary, d. Dec. 29, 1752. 

Lucy Patten m. Samuel Hall, Nov. 27, 1751. 

Jonathan „ „ S. Bradshaw, Apr. 14, 1762. 

Mary „ >» Henry Fowle, Jan. 8, 1766. 

Mrs. Mary „ d. Mar. 15, 1773. 



1 PEIRCE, NATHANLEL, m. Lydia , and had — 

1- 2 Hannah, b. Apr. 27, 1702. 

3 Francis, „ Sept. 24, 1704. 

4 Lydia, „ Feb. 24, 1707. 

5 Abigail, „ Feb. 5, 1710. 

6 Benoni, „ Feb. 24, 1712. 

7 Mary, „ Mar. 2, 1714. 

8 Benjamin Peirce m. Sarah Hall, Dec. 2, 1702, and had 

8- 9 Benjamin, b. Apr. 7, 1707. 

10 Sarah, „ Mar. 11, 1710. 

11 Eleanor, „ Feb. 13, 1712. 

12 Thomas, „ Aug. 11, 1714. 

13 Susanna, „ Jan. 29, 1717. 

His widow d. Mar., 1764, aged 85. 

14 Ichabod Peirce m. Sarah , and had — 

14-15 Sarah, b. July 14, 1709. 

16 Robert, „ Nov. 29, 1711. 

17 Nathaniel,,, Aug. 2, 1713. 

18 Rebecca, „ Aug. 5, 1716. 

19 Jonathan, „ Oct. 8, 1717. 



534 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



PERKINS, JONATHAN, was b. in Middleton, Mass., in 1791. 
His grandfather is believed to have emigrated from England to 
this town, which latter place was the birthplace of his father. 
This emigrant ancestor had twenty-four children, of whom An- 
drew m. Phebe Eliot, grand-daughter of the Rev. Andrew 
Peters, of Middleton ; and had eleven children, nine of whom 
are now living. Of these, — 

Jonathan Perkins m., in 1823, , fourth daughter of Nathan 

Wait, Esq., by whom he had six children, four of whom are now 
alive. 



PERRY, SANFORD B., b. Sept. 20, 1819, in Leicester, was son 
of William Perry, who was born there, Apr. 12, 1797. William 
was the son of Abijah Perry, b. in Princeton, Aug. 3, 1764, — 
son of Aaron Perry, b. in Mendon, Apr. 17, 1733. The father 
of Aaron was John P., who is supposed to be a descendant of 
Edmund Perry, who settled in N.E. about 1650. Sanford B. 
Perry m. Sarah Jane Barr, b. of James Barr, in New Ipswich, 
July 11, 1827. Her father was b. May 23, 1790 ; and his father, 
James, b. in Kilbarchan, co. of Renfrew, Dec. 12, 1752, emi- 

, grated to the United States, June 22, 1774. 



1 POLLY, SAMUEL, and Elizabeth, had — 

1- 2 Samuel, b. Nov. 3, 1714. 

3 Elizabeth, „ May 13, 1716. 

4 Ruth, „ Feb. 25, 1718. 

5 John, „ Aug. 6, 1719 ; d. Mar. 15, 1721. 

6 Susanna, „ 1721; „ Apr. 16, 1721. 

7 Sarah, „ Mar. 7, 1729. 



1 PORTER, JOHN (1), was of Windsor, Ct, in 1638 ; will proved, 

June, 1649; and had — 

1- 2 Samuel, m. Hannah Stanley ; was one of the first settlers of Had- 

ley, in 1659 ; and d. 1689, leaving seven children. 

2- 3 Samuel Porter, son of the last, was b. Apr. 6, 1660; afterwards 

judge; m. Joanna, dau. of Aaron Cook, of Hadley. He d. July 
29, 1722, aged 62, leaving three sons and four daughters. 

3- 4 Rev. Aaron Porter, second son and third child of the last, was b. 

July 19, 1689. Grad. H. C, 1708 ; and m., in 1709, Susanna 
Sewall, sister of the chief justice ; and had — 
4-5 Aaron, b. July 9,1714; d. young. 

6 Susanna, „ Mar. 1,1716; m., Aug. 4, 1739, Rev. A. Cleveland. 

7 Margaret,,, July 18, 1717. 

8 Joanna, „ Mar. 22, 1719; „ Jan. 1, 1735, Josiah Cleveland. 

He died Jan. 24, 1722, and has many descendants through the Clevelands; 
especially, of those now alive, are Rev. Charles Cleveland, of Boston, and Pro- 
fessor Charles D. Cleveland, of Philadelphia. 

9 Porter, John, came from England, 1632; of Salem, 1637; was 

made freeman, 1646. Had children, who settled at Topsfield 
and Wenham, from which latter place Deacon William Porter 
removed to Braintree, about 1740 ; his son, Jonathan, moved to 
Maiden, about 1755 ; and his son, Jonathan, jun., moved thence to 
Medford, 1773. He m. Phebe Abbott, of Andover, and had — . 

9-10 Jonathan, b. Nov. 13, 1791 ; m. Catharine Gray. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 535 

11 Henry, b. Nov. 9, 1793 ; m. Susan S. Tidd. 

12 Sarah, „ June 7, 1795 ; d. 1815. 

13 Charlotte, m . Hezelaah Blanchard. 

14 George, „ Aug. 26, 1799 ; d. young. 

15 George W., „ Jan. 26, 1801 ; m. Elizabeth Hall. 

16 Augusta, „ James T.Woodbury. 

Jonathan Porter d. Nov., 1817. 

1 RAYMOND, WILLIAM, is said to have emigrated with two 

brothers, Richard and William, and to have been concerned in 
lands held under John Mason, in N.H. ; and lived at Ports- 
mouth, 1631. Of these, Richard was freeman, 16*4 : John d. 
Jan. 18, 1703, aged 87 ; and William was ol Salem, 1648, after- 
wards of Beverly, where he was representative, 1685 and lb»b. 
He was a captain of Beverly troops, and had, for his services, a 
grant of land, where Dunbarton, N.H., now is. He j d. ^ Jan. 29, 
1709, aged 72. He m., 1st, Hannah Bishop; 2d, Ruth Hall, 
by each of them leaving issue. His children were — 

1- 2 Mary. 

3 William. 

4 Daniel, b. Nov. 25, 1691. 

5 Paul. 

1- 4 Daniel Raymond m. Abigail Balch, Mar 11, 1714, .and moved to 

Marblehead. He and his oldest son died m 1745, during the 
expedition against Louisburg. His youngest son, — 
4- 6 Freeborn Raymond, b. Peb. 20, 1741, m Mary Young, and 
moved to Athol. By a second wife, Sarah Powers, he had three 
sons and six daughters. He d. Peb. 11, 1817. 
6- 7 Freeborn Raymond, oldest son of the last named, was b. June 4, 

' 1765 ; m., 3d, Jane Rich, Mar. 9, 1801 ; and had, by her, five 
sons and four daughters. He d. July 3, 1824. 

7- 8 Thatcher R. Raymond, third son of the last, was b Mar. 9, 1808 ; 

m , 1st, Oct. 26, 1831, Helen M. Wilder, who d. Sept. 8, 183o , 
2d Caroline L. Blanchard, Mar. 9, 1837, who d. Mar. 14, 
1839 ; 3d, Jan. 26, 1841, Jane E. Bartlett, by whom he has — 

8- 9 Caroline Louisa, b. Sept. 12, 1846. 
10 Elizabeth B., „ Nov. 3, 1848. 

Is now a citizen of Medford. 

1 REED, HENRY, b. Jan. 27, 1785 ; m., Aug. 23, 1810, Hannah 

S. Greenleaf, who was b. Apr. 5, 1784. He d. Oct. 13, 1827, 
and had — 

2 Hannah M., b. June 23, 1811 ; m. Noah Hathaway. 

3 Susanna E., „ Peb. 15, 1813; „ N. Johnson. 

4 Martha W., „ May 30, 1817; d. July 12, 1817. 

5 Henry F., „ June 15, 1818. 

6 Isaac R., „ Dec. 17, 1820 ; m. Mary Merrill. 

7 Rebecca G., „ Sept. 1, 1823. 



1- 



1 REEVES, JOHN, embarked, Mar. 16, 1634, aged 19, for New 
England, on board the « Christian," from London, and settled 
in Salem, where land was granted him in 1643. His first wile 
was Jane ; and 2d, Elizabeth . His children were — 

1_ 2 William. 

3 Freeborn, b. Mar. 10, 1658. 

4 Benjamin, „ Dec. 30, 1661. 



536 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1- 2 



2- 5 
6 

7 



2- 6 

6- 8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 

6- 8 

8-16a. 
b. 
c. 
d. 

6-13 

13-17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 

13-17 

17-24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 

13-22 
22-31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 

13-23 

23-41 
42 



William Reeves m. Elizabeth Collins, Mar. 14, 1609, and 

had — 
John. 
Cochran. 
Elizabeth. 

Cochran Reeves m., 1st, Judith ; 2d, Elizabeth Robinson, 

July 17, 1723; and had — 
Samuel, b. Jan., 1708 ; d. Oct. 9, 1791. 
William, „ Dec, 1710. 
Susanna, „ Mar., 1713; m. John Clough. 

Elizabeth, „ Oct., 1715; ,, Holman. 

Nathaniel, „ Mercy Dudley. 

Jacob, ,, Aug., 1720. 

Mary, „ July, 1724 ; „ Palmer. 

John, „ Feb., 1725. 

Benjamin, ,, 1730. 



Samuel Reeves m. Elizabeth 



1733, who d. Apr. 23, 1759, 



aged 51. He d. Oct. 9, 1791, and had 
Elizabeth, b. 1734 ; m. Isaac Warren, Oct. 3, 1751. 
Judith, „ 1735 ; „ Joseph Albree, Dec. 23, 1756. 
Hannah, „ 1738; d., unm., Feb. 26, 1791. 
Thomas, ,,1741;,, Feb. 12, 1755. 

Jacob Reeves m. Abigail Ferguson ; lived some time at Roxbury, 

and moved thence to Wayland. He had — 
Nathaniel, b. Mar. 6, 1749. 
Elizabeth, ,, Dec. 25, 1753; m. Thomas Heard. 
Naomi, „ Mar. 12, 1756; d. young. 
Mary, „ July 12, 1758. 

Anne, m. Jona. Underwood. 

Jacob, ,, Jan. 31, 1763; ,, Elizabeth Robinson. 
Samuel, ,, Apr. 15, 1765; „ Abigail Parris. 



Nathaniel Reeves m., 1st, Dorothy Hoar; 2d, Eunice Noyes ; 
and had — 

d. Feb. 3, 1772. 
„ July 6, 1779. 



Nathaniel, 

Nathaniel, 

Eunice, 

Nathaniel, 

Abigail, 



b. Aug. 15, 1771 
„ Jan. 23, 1777 
„ May 6, 1779 
„ Sept. 15, 1781 
„ Oct. 8, 1783 



Jonas Noyes, ,, June 11, 1786 
Henry, „ Mar. 21, 1789, 



„ Aug. 17, 1785. 

„ Nov. 14, 1815. 

„ Jan. 30, 1830. 

„ Feb. 18, 1835. 



Jacob Reeves m. Elizabeth Robinson, and had — 
Samuel, b. June 20, 1785 ; d. Oct. 28, 1814. 
Nancy, „ May 30, 1787; „ Apr. 28, 1816. 
Hervey, „ Apr. 13, 1789; m. Lucretia Bond. 
Walter, „ May 25, 1791; „ Elmira Griffin. 
Jacob, „ Mar. 29, 1793; d. Sept. 25, 1818. 
Charles, „ June 18, 1795 ; „ Jan. 24, 1796. 
Hannah, „ Oct. 29, 1796. 
Charles, „ Dec. 26, 1798; „ Sept. 18, 1801. 
Dexter, „ Oct. 2, 1800; m. Margaret P. Troufatter. 
Elisa E., „ Aug. 17, 1804 ; d. Nov. 15, 1804. 

Samuel Reeves m. Abigail Parris, and lived in Hope, Me. He 

had — 
Clarissa, b. Apr. 22, 1786 ; m. Job Morse. 
Sylvester, „ Oct. 18, 1789. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 



537 



43 Sarah, b. May 30, 1795. 

44 Elisa, „ Feb. 6, 1800. 

45 Elmira, „ Aug. 10, 1804. 

17-27 Nathaniel Reeves m. Milicent Eice, and lived in Wayland. He 

had — 
27-46 Emineline A., b. June 10, 1810 ; m. James S. Draper. 

47 Caroline, ,, June 1, 1812. 

48 Cordelia, „ Sept. 29, 1814 ; „ Dr. Alex. Jackson, Plymouth. 

17-29 Jonas N. Eeeves m. Nancy Heard ; lived in Templeton ; and 
had — 

29-49 Thomas Heard, b. Oct. 20, 1817. 

50 Nancy, „ Apr. 20, 1820 ; m. Cyrus Cheney. 

51 George H., „ Jan. 30, 1822; d. Aug. 22, 1822. 

52 Albert, „ July 16, 1823 ; „ Aug. 5, 1825. 

53 Francis, ,, July 30, 1825. 

54 Jacob H., „ Feb. 24, 1829. 

17-30 Henry Eeeves m. Nancy Gleason ; lives in Wayland; and 
had — 

30-55 Mary Ann, b Apr. 8, 1817; d. Nov. 15, 1823. 

56 Catharine G., „ Apr. 2, 1819 ; „ Sept. 26, 1837. 

57 Henry, „ Feb. 25, 1821; „ Nov. 16, 1823. 

58 Nancy G., „ Mar. 13, 1823 ; m. E. Packard ; d. July 10, 1845. 

59 Mary E., „ Aug. 15, 1825. 

60 Licentia, „ Oct. 27, 1827. 

* 

Hervey Eeeves m., 1st, Phebe ; 2d, Lucretia Bond, by 

whom he had — 
33-61 Samuel D., b. Feb. 2, 1818. 

62 Ellen P., „ Apr. 27, 1824. 

63 James H., „ June 30, 1828. 

64 Francis W., „ May 3, 1831. 

22-34 Walter Eeeves m. Elmira Griffin. He lives at Wayland, and 
has — * 

34-65 Nancy G., b. June 21, 1821 ; m. Abner Rice, of Natick. 

66 Eliza E., „ Sept. 23, 1822 ; „ John Dane, of Clinton. 

67 Charles W., „ Apr. 17, 1825. 

68 Sarah G., „ Sept. 17, 1827 ; „ Ed. Rice, jun., of Wayland. 

69 Emma L., „ Sept. 30, 1833. 

70 Adeline R., „ Oct. 20, 1835. 

22-39 Dexter Reeves m. Margaret P. Troufatter, and lives in Boston. 

Child : — 
39-71 Dexter, b. Aug., 1834. 
23-42 Sylvester Reeves m. Milicent, widow of Nathaniel Reeves, jun., 

and has — 
42-72 Nathaniel, b. July 22, 1820. 
73 Sylvester, „ May 30, 1823. 



22-33 



i RICHARDSON, JOHN, and Abigail, his wife, had — 

1- 2 Joshua, b. Sept. 22, 1714. 

3 Abigail, „ July 23, 1716. 

4 Susanna, „ May 2, 1718. 

5 John, „ May 29, 1721. 

6 James, „ June 15, 1725. 

7 Joseph, „ Aug. 16, 1729. 

68 



538 HISTOKY OF MEDFOIID. 



8 William Richaudson had, by wife Rebecca, 

8- 9 Mary, b. Apr. 17, 1717. 



(I am indebted for the following account to the kindness of Hon. James Savage.) 
1 ROYALL, WILLIAM, of Casco, 1636, had been sent by the go- 

vernor and company to Captain Endicott, at Salem, 1629, as a 
" cleaver of timber." Part of the town of Salem was early called 
Ryall's side. He purchased of Gorges, 1643, on east side of 
Royall's River, in North Yarmouth, and lived near its mouth. 
He m. Phebe Green, step-dau. of Samuel Cole, of Boston. 
Children : — 

1- 2 William, b. 1640. 

3 John. 

4 Samuel. 

1- 2 William Royall was driven by the Indians from North Yar- 

mouth, and remained at Dorchester some years. Freeman 1678 ; 
d. Nov. 7, 1724. Children : — 

2- 5 Isaac, b. 1672. 

6 , a dau., m. Amos Stevens. 

7 Jemima, „ 1692; d. Nov. 9, 1709. 

8 Samuel, of Freetown. 

9 Jacob, of Boston. 

And others, whose names are unknown. 

2- 5 Isaac Royall returned in 1757 from Antigua, where he had re- 

sided 40 years, settled in Medford, and there d. June 7, 1739. 
He m., July 1, 1697, Elizabeth, dau. of Asaph Eliot, who d. 
Apr. 21, 1747. His wife seems to have m., 1st, an Oliver, as 
Isaac R. mentions a dau.-in-law, Ann, wife of Robert Oliver, of 
Antigua. Elizabeth R., in her will, mentions gr.-ch., Dr. James, 
Thomas, Isaac, Richard, and Elizabeth Oliver. Children : — 
5-10 Asaph, b. Apr., 1699 ; d. July 24, 1699. 

1 1 Isaac. 

12 Penelope, m. Henry Vassall. 
2- 8 Samuel Royall m , and had — 

. 8-13 William. 

14 Samuel Winthrop. 

5-1 1 Col. Isaac Royall, of Medford, m. , and had — 

11-15 Elizabeth, b. 1741 ; d. July 9, 1747. 

16 Miriam, (?) m. Thomas Savel. 

17 Elizabeth, „ Sir William Pepperrell. 
17£ Mary. 

5-12 Penelope Royall m. Henry Vassall, 1741, and had — 

12-18 Elizabeth, m. Dr. Charles Russell, who d. in Antigua, s. p., May 
27, 1780. 

11-16 Mieiam Royall m. Thomas Savel, Dec. 23, 1773, and had — 

16-18£ Thomas. 

19 Elizabeth, b. Dec. 20, 1784. 

20 Miriam, „ Apr. 19, 1787. 

11-17 Elizabeth Royall m. William Pepperrell Sparhawk, whose 

mother was the only daughter of Sir William Pepperrell, and 
who took his grandfather's name on succeeding to the estate 
and title. He d. Dec, 1816, aged 70. Children — 
17-21 William, d., unm., 1809. 

22 Elizabeth Royall, b. July 14, 1770. 

23 Mary Hirst Mcintosh. 

24 Harriot. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 539 



17-22 Elizabeth R. Pepperrell m. Rev. Henry Hutton, who d. in 

1813, and had — 

m. William Moreton, 1814. 

„ Rev. William Moreton, 1832. 
„ Sophia Brevort. 

* 

,, Rev. David Drummond, 1829. 
„ Archdeacon Parry. 

5 1st, Elizabeth , 1836. 

" i 2d, Ellen Porter. 
„ Mary Drummond. 
d., unm., 1848. 

17-23 Mary H. McIntosh Pepperrell m. William Congreve, July, 

1799, and d. s. p., Feb. 4, 1839. 

17-24 Harriot Pepperrell m., 1802, Sir Charles Palmer, who d. Apr. 
27, 1827. His widow d. Jan. 2, 1842. Children : — 

24-35 Louisa C. 

36 Mary Anne. 

37 Caroline H. 

38 George J., m. Emily Elizabeth Holford, Feb., 1836. 

39 Charles A., „ Julia Simpson, Feb. 27, 1838. 

40 William Henry, b. 1815; d. Sept. 2, 1823. 

Note. — In printing these English branches, I have copied from the "Life 
of Sir William Pepperrell," by Usher Parsons, Esq. 

Robert Royall, perhaps a brother of Isaac (No. 5), was living 
with wife Mercy, in Dorchester, July 20, 1741. 



2-25 


Elizabeth, 


26 


Charles H. 


27 


Mary Anne, 


28 


Henry, 


29 


Anne. 


30 


Harriot, 


31 


Louise, 


32 


William P., 


33 


Thomas P., 


34 


Frances, 



1 SAMSON, MILES, m. Sarah Clough, of Medford, July 9, 1815, 

who d. Sept. 5, 1824. They had — 
1-2 Sarah, b. June 1, 1816 ; m. Thilip Putney. 

3 Miles, „ Oct. 29,1817; ,. 1st, E. Paine; 2d, A. Weston. 

4 Eden, „ May 25, 1819; „ Mary Ann Tufts. 

5 Elizabeth C, „ Aug. 7,1821; ,, Albert Hadley, of Eden, Me. 

He m., 2d, Charlotte Peirce, April 10, 1825, who d. March 20, 
1832 ; and had — 

6 Charlotte, b. Aug. 16, 1825. 

,7 Henry, „ Sept. 21, 1829 ; m. Matilda Headley. 
8 Mary, „ Sept. 2,1831; „ Henry Jones. 



1 SAVEL, THOMAS, m. Miriam Royall, Dec. 23, 1773, and had — 

1- 2 Thomas. 

3 Elizabeth, b. Dec. 20, 1784. 

4 Miriam, „ Apr. 19, 1787. 

Thomas Savel, Jr., m. Mary Francis, Dec. 22, 1799. 
Margaret ,, „ James Buckman, Feb. 12, 1778. 

Martha, „ ,, Benjamin Floyd, Jan. 7, 1779. 

Josefoh, ,, d. June 2, 1776. 

Widow Martha, „ „ Dec. 10, 1786. 



1 SECCOMB, RICHARD, came from the west of England ; set- 

tled at Lynn as early as 1660 ; and d. 1694. He had — 
1- 2 Noah. 
3 Richard. 



540 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



4 Susanna. 

5 Peter, b. 1678. 

1- 3 Richard Seccomb m. Anne , and had — 

3- 6 Jonathan, b. Sept. 17, 1710. 

7 Anne, „ Sept. 17, 1712. 

8 Dorothy, „ Jan. 24, 1715 ; m. Henry Fowle, Mar. 6, 1738. 

1- 5 Peter Seccomb m. Hannah Willis, Feb. 25, 1702, who d. at Har- 

vard, Dec. 15, 1760. She was b. Jan. 1, 1672 ; and d. Dec. 15, 
1760, aged 89. He d. Sept. 8, 1756, aged 78. Children : — 
5- 9 John, b. July 30, 1706 ; d. May 27, 1770. 

„ Apr. 25, 1708 ; minister at Harvard, Mass., 1728. 
„ Jan. 15, 1710 ; d. Sept. 28, 1730. 
„ Aug. 16, 1711 ; „ Apr. 15, 1773. 

minister at Kingston, N.H. ; d. 17G0. 
„ Apr. 30, 1704 ; d. Apr. 15, 1725. 

Joseph Seccomb (13) m. Ruth Brooks, Nov. 20, 1760. 

Rebecca f d> Mar< 13, 1781 ' aged 77 ' 

i.eoecca, „ £ ghe m> Thomas (No> 12)> aboye# 

Anna, „ m. William Patten, Nov. 17, 1727. 

Anne, „ „ Nathaniel Lawrence, Nov. 13, 1725. 

Note. — Seccombe is the name of a place in the Isle of Purbeck, on the 
coast of Dorsetshire, Eng. 



9 


John, 


10 


John, 


11 


Charles, 


12 


Thomas, 


13 


Joseph, 


14 


Willis, 



1 SHED, DANIEL, of Braintree, 1647, from whom probably de- 

scended Ebenezer Shed (1), of Charlestown, who d. Apr. 17, 
1770, aged 75 ; and m. Abigail Ireland, who d. Oct. 8, 1783, 
aged 83. He had, inter alios, — 

1- 2 Zechariah, b. Feb. 7, 1745 ; m. Lydia Spring, who was b. Jan. 

11, 1748, and d. Oct. 7, 1821. She was the dau. of Henry 
Spring, jun., aivl Sarah Swan, his wife (who was a dau. of old 
Lady Winship, wVi d. Dec. 2, 1807, aged 100). Zechariah Shed 
d. Jan. 15, 1813, leaving — 

2- 3 Francis, b. July 5, 1772. 
4 Thomas, „ Feb. 7, 1784. 

2- 3 Francis Shed m. Lydia Prentiss Saunders, May 29, 1797, who d. 

Oct. 11, 1846, aged 72. He d. Apr. 15, 1851. Children : — 

3- 5 Judith S., b. Sept. 16, 1798 ; m. \ \ s *> John Snow. 

( 2d, John Hardy. 

6 qarolineD., „ May 22, 1801; „ [jj Ofijerftj-g. 

7 Emily Ann, „ Sept. 11, 1803; ,, Aaron Traverse. 

8 Francis, ,, Nov. 20, 1805 ; „ Mary Ann Frost. 

9 Lydia, „ Nov. 21, 1807 ; „ Thomas Marshall. 
10 Zechariah, „ Mar. 19, 1810. 

1, Eliza B., „ M, n, 18,3 ; „ { ££*£*£? 

12 Matilda O., „ Oct. 14, 1816 ; „ Charles Danforth. 

2- 4 Thomas Shed m. Abigail H. Greenleaf, Dec. 18, 1808, and d. 
Dec. 9, 1849. He had children : — 

4-13 Abigail G., b. Nov. 22, 1809 ; m. George Sawyer. 

14 Sarah R., „ Dec. 8,1811; „ Samuel Ward. 

15 William B., „ Oct. 24,1813. 

16 Harriet G., „ Oct. 26, 1815. 

17 Helen M., „ May 29, 1818 ; „ Mathias Miner. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 541 



3- 



18 


Thomas A., 


b. Nov. 14, 1822. 


19 


Franklin K. 


„ May 19, 1825 ; d. Feb. 22, 1848. 


20 


Marshall S., 


„ Mar. 15, 1828 ; m. Emma A. Gibbs. 


21 


Mary A., 


„ May 1, 1831 ; d. May 12, 1832. 


22 


Convers Francis, „ Jan. 8, 1835 ; ,, Aug. 13, 1853. - 


8 


Francis Shed, jun., m. Mary Ann Frost, of Tvngsboro', May 23, 




1829. She d. June 4, 1851, aged 42. He m., 2d, Mrs. Eliza- 




beth H. Page, dau. of the late Jonathan Tufts. Children by 1st 




wife : — 




8-23 


Luther A., 


b. June 11, 1830. 


24 


Mary Jane, 


„ Sept. 9, 1831. 


25 


John F., 


„ Oct. 11, 1833. 


26 


Matilda M., 


„ Jan. 22, 1835; d. May 1, 1S36. 


27 


Laura M., 


„ Feb. 25, 1837; „ 1838. 


28 


Sylvanus, 


„ Sept. 1, 1840. 


29 


Jefferson, 


„ July 1, 1842. ' 


30 


Lydia S., 


„ Aug. 1, 1844. 


31 


Lucy Ann, 


„ Dec. 17, 1847. 


32 


Albert, 


„ Sept. 16, 1S50. 



1 SHEPARD, JACOB, m. Mercy Chick ering, Nov. 22, 1699 ; and 

had — 
1- 2 Jacob, b. Aug. 22, 1700. 



1 SWAN, SAMUEL, was b. 1720 ; Avas an only son ; his father m. 

Miss Austin, of Charlestown, and d. 1746. His ancestors are 
said to have had large possessions in Haverhill and Methuen ; 
and, as lately as 1798, Mr. Swan was urged to prosecute his 
claims by persons of respectable standing, one of whom, a pub- 
lic officer, desired to purchase a part of his claim. From a deli- 
cate sense of justice, Mr. Swan and his oldest son firmly refused 
to entertain the idea. In March, 1746, he m. Joanna Richard- 
son, of Woburn, and had children as below. His house in 
Charlestown was burnt by the British ; and he went, with his 
family, to Concord. He d. Aug., 1808. Children : — 

1- 2 Samuel, b. 1750. 

3 Daniel, „ 1752. 

4 Caleb, „ 1754 ; d. Mar., 1816. 

1- 2 Samuel Swan, jun.. m. Hannah Lamson, Mar. 5, 1778, who d. 

Nov., 1826, aged 70. He d. Nov., 1825. In Jan., 1787, he was 
appointed quartermaster-general, with the rank of major, under 
General Lincoln, in the time of Shay's rebellion. He had pre- 
viously served under General Lincoln in the revolutionary war ; 
and, for his conduct in this later matter, received the written 
thanks of Gov. Bowdoin. He was afterwards deputy-collector 
of the revenue under Gen. Brooks. His children were — 

2- 5 Samuel, b. 1779; d. Mar. 31, 1823. 

6 Daniel, m. Sarah Preston. 

7 Joseph, „ 1784. 

8 Hannah. 

9 Benjamin L., 

10 Timothy, „ 1789 ; d. Jan. 20, 1830. 

11 Caleb." 

1- 3 Daniel Swan m. Elizabeth, dau. of Peter Tufts, Aug. 21, 1777 ; 

and d. in 1730. His widow d. 1853, aged 97. 



542 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



9_ 



5 

5-12 
13 
14 
15 
16 



2- 7 



Samuel Swan m. Margaret Tufts, and had — 

Benjamin L., 

Samuel, 

James, 

Margaret, 

Hannah L., 

Joseph Swan was a merchant, educated in the counting-room of 
Hon. William Gray. He m. Ann Rose ; and d. Jan., 1853, 
leaving — 



Sarah Brinkerhoff. 
Lucretia Staniels. 
Matilda Loring. 
William Eveleth. 
George Francis. 



7-17 


Joseph, 


m. Elizabeth Bartlett. 


18 


William 11., 


d. 1854. 


19 


Ann R., 


m. Peter C. Hall. 


20 


Timothy. 




2- 9 


Benjamin L. Swan m. 


Mary Saidler, and had — 


9-21 


Benjamin L., 


m. Caroline Post. 


22 


Edmund H., 


,, Julia Post. 


23 


Mary, 


,, Charles N. Fearing, 


24 


Otis D wight, 


„ Margaret Johnson. 


25 


Frederic. 


- 



Elizabeth Swan m. Ezra Skinner, Jan. 8, 1724. 

Ruth, wife of William Swan, d. Jan. 6, 1716. 

Thomas Swan, of Roxbury, m. Prudence Wade, Sept, 27, 1692. 



1- 2 



4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 

12 

13 



1- 2 



2-14 
15 
16 
17 
18 



SYMMES, ZECHARIAH, was the son of Rev. William Symmes, 
and was b. in Canterbury, Eng., Apr. 5, 1599. He came to 

1634; and soon after was ordained 
He had eleven children, five of whom 



New England, Sept. 18, 
minister at Charlestown. 



were born in Charlestown. He is said to have left his large 
property to his son William, on condition that he should pay 
two hundred pounds apiece to the other heirs. This son failing 
to do this, and dying soon after his father, the heirs appointed 
Rev. Zechariah, of Bradford, to divide it. He d. Feb. 4, 1671 ; 
and had, by wife Sarah, — 
William, bap. Jan. 10, 1627. 

Ap,i 6 ,. 62 s ; , n .{« ; j„f- r .x i l: 1652 - 

Jan. 

Mar. 

d. unm. 
12, 1634; m. Humphrey Booth. 
18, 1635 ; „ Ed. Willis, June 15, 1668. 

d. Mar. 22,1708 ; min. atBradford. 
„ 1641. 
Aug. 28, 1642 ; m. Timothy Prout, 1664. 

C 1st, Rev. Sam. Hough, 1650. 
" I 2d, Rev. John Brock, 1662. 
„ Mary Nichols, Dec. 10, 1668. 



Mary, 

Elizabeth, 

Huldah, 

Hannah, 

Rebecca, 

Ruth, 

Zechariah, 

Timothy, 

Deborah, 

Sarah, 

Timothy, 



1, 1630; 
18, 1631; 
Aug. 22, 1632 ; 
Feb. 
Oct. 

Jan. 9, 1638 ; 
May 7, 1640; 



Hezekiah Usher, 1654. 
William Davis. 



William Symmes m. Mary 



and d. Sept. 22, 1691. He had 



seven children, of whom the names of five are known ; viz., ■ 
Sarah, m. Rev. M. Fisk, of Braintree, Nov. 7, 1672 ; d. Nov. 2, 1692. 
William, Jan. 7, 1679. 
Zechariah. 
Timothy. 
Nathaniel. 

His dau., Sarah, was child of his first wife, as his servant, John Warner, 
testified that his master was a widower when this dau. married. . Fanner's 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 543 



Register says that Mary, his widow, m. Rev. Samuel Torrey, July 30, 1695 ; 
and in 1700 she was certainly called Mary Torrey, as I have seen a document 
of that date so signed. 

2-15 William Symmes m. Ruth Convcrs. He inherited two-thirds of 



C RRI6EN D A. 



Benjamin L. Swan m. Mary Saidler, and had — 

Benjamin L. m. Caroline Post. 

Edward H. „ Julia Post. 

Mary » Charles N. Fearing. 

Robert J. >, Margaret Johnson. 

Otis D. 

Frederic. 



Caleb (2-11), son of Samuel, m. Harriet Stone. 



ivew rane, Vt., 1777 ; m. Savah 
P. Smith in 1800, who d. 1806, leaving two children : — 
1- 2 Mary Ann, b. Aug., 1801. 

3 Albert, „ May, 1803. 

He in., 2d, Lydia Fesenden, of Lexington ; and d. Sept. 19, 1851, 
leaving, by his second wife, — 

4 Edwin, b. June, 1815. 

5 Adaline, „ 1817. 

6 EmmeUneM., „ Dec, 1819. 

7 Lydia A., ,, Dec, 1821. 

8 Cordelia, „ Dec, 1823. 



1 TOMPSON, JONATHAN, m. Abigail -, and had — 

1- 2 Phebe, b. Jan. 15, 1713. 

3 Ruth, „ Oct. 30, 1715. 

4 Jonathan, „ Apr. 10, 1720. 

By 2d wife, Lydia Nutting, whom he m. Feb. 25, 1720, he 
had — 

5 Lydia, b. Dec. 12, 1720. 



TUFTS, PETER, was b. in England, in 1617 ; parents and birth- 
place unknown. There are, however, persons bearing the name 
in Lancashire ; and, between Little Baddow and Maiden, co. 
Essex, there is a village called Tuftes. Peter Tufts was one of 
the earliest and largest land-owners in our town of Maiden ; and 
it is perhaps a fair supposition, that he named his home for his 
English birthplace. He is supposed to have immigrated 1638-40 ; 
and was admitted a freeman, May 3, 1665, being then an inha- 
bitant of Maiden. He bought land in Medford, in 1664, of Mrs. 
Nowell, which descended to his son, Capt. Peter Tufts. His 
wife was Mary , who d. 1705, aged 75. He d. May 13, 



542 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



2- 5 Samuel Swan m. Margaret Tuft?, and had — 

5-12 Benjamin L., m. Sarah Brinkerhoff. 

13 Samuel, ,, Lucretia Staniels. 

14 James, „ Matilda Lorins. 



and was b. in Canterbury, Eng., Apr. 5, 1599. He came to 
New England, Sept. 18, 1634; and soon after was ordained 
minister at Charlestown. He had eleven children, five of whom 
were born in Charlestown. He is said to have left his large 
property to his son W illiam, on condition that he should pay 
two hundred pounds apiece to the other heirs. This son failing 
to do this, and dying soon after his father, the heirs appointed 
Rev. Zechariah, of Bradford, to divide it. He d. Feb. 4, 1671 ; 
and had, by wife Sarah, — 
1- 2 William, bap. Jan. 10, 1627. 

3 Ma,,-, „ Ap, «. 1628 ; n, { ^ISS^S&it ^ 

4 Elizabeth, „ Jan. 1,1630; „ Hezekiah Usher, 1654. 

5 Huldah, „ Mar. 18, 1631 ; „ William Davis. 

6 Hannah, „ Aug. 22, 1632 ; d. umn. 

7 Rebecca, „ Feb. 12,1634; m. Humphrey Booth. 

8 Ruth, „ Oct. 18, 1635 ; „ Ed. Willis, June 15, 1668. 

9 Zechariah, b. Jan. 9,1638; d. Mar. 22,1708; min. at Bradford. 

10 Timothy, ,, May 7,1640; „ 1641. 

11 Deborah, „ Aug. 28, 1642 ; m. Timothy Prout, 1664. 

19 o nr . lh C 1st, Rev. Sam. Hough, 1650. 

D ***** " I 2d, Rev. John Brock, 1662. 

13 Timothy, „ Mary Nichols, Dec. 10, 1668. 

1- 2 William Symmes m. Mary ; and d. Sept. 22, 1691. He had 

seven children, of whom the names of five are known ; viz., — 

2-14 Sarah, m. Rev. M. Fisk, of Braintree, Nov. 7, 1672 ; d. Nov. 2, 1692. 

15 William, Jan. 7, 1679. 

16 Zechariah. 

17 Timothy. 

18 Nathaniel. 

His dau., Sarah, was child of his first wife, as his servant, John Warner, 
testified that his master was a widower when this dau. married. Farmer's 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 54t 



Register says that Mary, his widow, m. Rev. Samuel Torrey, July 30, 1695 ; 
and in 1700 she was certainly called Mary Torrey, as I have seen a document 
of that date so signed. 

2-15 William Symmes m. Ruth Convers. He inherited two-thirds of 

his father's estate, and had a clothing-mill where Mr. Bacon's 
now is. He d. May 24, 1764. Children : — 
15-19 William, d. young. 

20 Zechariah. 

21 Josiah, ,, young. 

22 Elizabeth. 

23 Timothy. 

24 John. 

25 William, minister at Andover. 

15-23 Timothy Symmes m. Martha , and had — 

23-26 Timothy, b. Dec. 23, 1800. 

27 William Wyman, „ Aug. 24, 1803. 

15-24 John Symmes m. Miss Dix, of Waltham, and had — 

24-28 Josiah. 

29 John, b. 1754. 

30 Abigail, m. Cutter. 

24-29 John Symmes m. Elizabeth Wright, 1780, and had — 

29-31 John, b. Jan. 27, 1781 ; m. Pamela Richardson, 1804. 



1 TAINTER, ELISHA L., b. in New Fane, Vt., 1777 ; m. Savali 

P. Smith in 1800, who d. 1806, leaving two children : — 
1- 2 Mary Ann, b. Aug., 1801. 

3 Albert, „ May, 1803. 

He m., 2d, Lydia Fesenden, of Lexington ; and d. Sept. 19, 1851, 
leaving, by his second wife, — 

4 Edwin, b. June, 1815. 

5 Adaline, „ 1817. 

6 EmmelineM., „ Dec, 1819. 

7 Lydia A., „ Dec, 1821. 

8 Cordelia, „ Dec, 1823. 



1 TOMPSON, JONATHAN, m. Abigail ', and had — 

1- 2 Phebe, b. Jan. 15, 1713. 

3 Ruth, „ Oct. 30, 1715. 

4 Jonathan, „ Apr. 10, 1720. 

By 2d wife, Lydia Nutting, whom he m. Feb. 25, 1720, he 
had — 

5 Lydia, b. Dec. 12, 1720. 



TUFTS, PETER, was b. in England, in 1617 ; parents and birth- 
place unknown. There are, however, persons bearing the name 
in Lancashire ; and, between Little Baddow and Maiden, co. 
Essex, there is a village called Tuftes. Peter Tufts was one of 
the earliest and largest land-owners in our town of Maiden ; and 
it is perhaps a fair supposition, that he named his home for his 
English birthplace. He is supposed to have immigrated 1638-40 ; 
and was admitted a freeman, May 3, 1665, being then an inha- 
bitant of Maiden. He bought land in Medford, in 1664, of Mrs. 
Nowell, which descended to his son, Capt. Peter Tufts. His 
wife was Mary , who d. 1705, aged 75. He d. May 13, 



544 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1- 2 



2-11 
12 
13 
14 



15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 



1- 3 



3-27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 



1- 4 



1700, aged 83, and lies buried, with his wife, in Maiden church- 
yard. His children were — 



1- 2 


Peter, b. 


, 1648. 




3 


Jonathan, ,, 


1657. 




4 


John, ,, 


1*665. 


j 


5 


Mary, 




m. John Edes. 


6 


Elizabeth, 




,, Joseph Lynde, bro.-in-law of Pet. Tufts, jun. 


7 


Mercy, 




„ Joseph Waite. 


8 


Sarah, 




„ Thomas Oakes. 


9 


Fersis, 




d., unrn., 1683. 


10 


Lydia, 




„ ,, 1683. 



Peter Tufts, of Medford, commonly called Capt. Peter, m., 1st, 
Aug. 26, 1670, Elizabeth, dau. of Thomas Lynde, who d. July 
15, 1684, by whom he had — 
Anna, b. Feb. 25, 1676. 
Peter, „ Jan. 27, 1678. 
Mary, ,, Jan. 30, 1681; m. John Brodelins. 
Thomas,,, Mar. 31, 1683; d. Dec. 36, 1733. 

He m., 2d, Mary Cotton, Dec. 16, 1681, who was dau. of Rev. 
Seaborn Cotton by his wife Dorothy Bradstreet, dau. of Gov. 
Simon Bradstreet by his wife Ann Dudley, the poetess. Mercy 
Cotton was b. Nov. 3, 1666 ; and d. June 18, 1715. The issue 
by this marriage was — 
Cotton, b. June 11, 1686 ; d. July 28, 1686. 

Mar. 8, 1688. 



Mary, 

John, 

Samuel, 

Dorothy, 

Mercy, 

Dorothy, 

Mercy, 

Simon, 

Sarah, 

Dorothy, 

Lydia, 



4, 1687; 



July 

May 5, 1689; minister at Newbury, 1714. 

Aug. 22, 1691; d. Oct. 20, 1692. 

„ Sept. 10, 1693. 

„ Aug. 19, 1697. 

„ Nov. 29, 1697. 
Oct. 27, 1698 ; m. John Bradstreet. 
Jan. 31, 1700. 
May 13, 1702. 

Dec. 14, 1704 ; „ Bradshaw. 

Jan. 30, 1707. 



May 5, 1693 ; 
June 20, 1695 ; 
Mar. 27, 1697 ; 



He appears, by his will, to have had a third wife, Prudence, who owned a 
house, which was secured to her by the marriage articles. Capt. Peter died, 
Sept. 20, 1721, aged 73. He was a freeman, Oct. 15, 1679. His property in 
Medford, left him by his father, consisted of seventeen acres of land, five of 
which were at "Snake Hole." He also had six hundred acres in Quabog, or 
Brookfield. 

Jonathan Tufts was of Medford. Will dated Aug. 4, 1718. He 
d. in 1720 ; and M r as buried in Maiden, beside his father. He 
had, by his wife Rebecca, — 

1, 1685; d. Dec. 15, 1688. 
Apr. 11, 1688. 
Feb. 6, 1690. 
Oct. 16, 1694; m. John Willis, Apr. 17, 1717. 

Elizabeth Sweetson, Mar. 28, 1723. 
J. Codman, Maiden, Feb. 12, 1737. 



Jonathan, b. July 
John, „ 

Jonathan, 
Rebecca, 



Samuel, 
Persis, 
Joseph, 
Abigail, 



Apr. 29, 1697 ; 
May 2,1700; 
June 29, 1704. 
Jan. 7, 1707. 



4-35 



John Tufts was of Maiden. His residence was standing in 1821 ; 
and John Tufts, who was then alive, possessed a silver-headed 
cane, — an heirloom, descended from this early settler. He m. 
Mary Putnam ; and d. in Maiden, 1728. His children "were 
three b. in Medford, and four in Maiden ; viz., — 

Mary, b. Apr. 11, 1688. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 545 



36 John, b. May 28, 1690. 

37 Nathaniel, „ Feb. 23, 1692. * 

38 Peter, „ 1696; of Milk Row. 

39 Benjamin, „ 1699. 

40 Thomas. 

41 Stephen. 

2-14 Thomas Tufts graduated, H. C, in 1701. While in college, he 

had forty pounds a year by his grandfather's will, He m., 1st, 
Mary Phipps, who d. Sept. 3, 1718, aged 48, by whom he 
had — 
14-42 Thomas, b. Feb. 27, 1712. 

43 Peter, „ Mar. 8, 1714; d. Oct. 1, 1714. 

44 Henry, „ Sept. 21, 1716. 

He m., 2d, Emma, dau. of Samuel Phipps, of Charlestown, and 
had — 

45 Catharine, b. Nov. 4, 1719. 

46 Samuel, „ Dec. 31, 1720. 

47 Simon, „ Mar. 17, 1723. 

48 Solomon, „ Jan. 23, 1725. 

49 David. 

50 Frederick. 

2-17 John Tufts m. Elizabeth Sargent, Mar. 28, 1723, and had — 

17-51 John, b. Dec. 13, 1723; d. Aug. 16, 1725. 

2-23 Simon Tufts was the firpi physician of Medford ; graduated, H.C., 

1724; d. June 31, 1747. He m. Abigail Smith, who d. 1790, 
aged 90, by whom he had — 
23-52 Simon, b. Jan. 16, 1727. 

53 Abigail, „ Ser^- 22, 1730 ; m. John Bishop, Dec. 7, 1752. 

54 William, „ Aug. 28, 1732. 

55 Cotton, „ May 30, 1734. 

56 Samuel » Jan. 7, 1736. 

57 Mercv, „ Oct. 19, 1742 ; „ Thos. Brooks, jun., Dec. 29, 1762. 

58 Anna, „ Nov. 8, 1744 ; „ Peter Jones, May 2, 1765. 

3-33 Joseph Tufts m. Lydia Francis, Jan. 12, 1727, and had — 

33-59 Rebecca, b. Mar. 31, 1728. 

60 Lydia, „ Aug. 24, 1729. 

61 Joseph, „ Feb. 21, 1731. 

62 Samuel, „ Aug. 16, 1732. 

63 John, „ Nov. 18, 1735. 

64 Ebenezer, „ Apr. 14, 1739 ; d. May 4, 1739. 

4-38 Peter Tufts, of Milk Row, d. Dec. 5, 1776 ; had bequeathed him, 

by his father, forty-four acres of land, which was bought of Judge 
Russell, in 17Q1. He m. Lydia Buckman, and had by her, 
who d. Oct. 31, 1778, aged 73,— 
38-65 Nathan, b. May 14, 1724. 

66 Peter, „ Apr. 24, 1728. 

67 Lydia, „ Jan. 5, 1731. 

68 Timothy, „ Jan. 20, 1735. 

69 Samuel, „ Nov. 24, 1737. 

70 Aaron, „ Dec. 16, 1739. 

71 Susanna, „ Apr. 23, 1746. 

4-39 Benjamin Tufts m., 1st, Mary Hutchinson ; and, 2d, Hannah 

Turner. He d. Nov. 17, 1774, leaving — 
39-72 Benjamin, b. Nov. 15, 1731. 

73 Mary, „ July 6, 1733 ; m. John Symonds. 

69 



546 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



74 Phebe, m. N. Wait, jun., Oct. 15, 1757. 

>5 Sarah, b. June 11, 1737 ; „ Stephen Wait. 

76 John, „ Mar. 15, 1739. 

77 Hutchinson, „ Jan. 25, 1743. 

By his second wife — , 

78 Francis, b: July 21, 1744; „ Sarah Blount, Nov. 26, 1767. 

79 Hannah, „ Dec. 14, 1746 ; „ Watts Turner. 

80 Martha, „ Aug. 10, 1753 ; „ Thos.Bradshaw,Nov.26, 1772. 

81 Abigail, „ Mar. 9, 1757 ; „ Daniel Tufts. 

23-52 Dr. Simon Tufts, jun., m., 1st, Lucy Dudley, who d. Nov., 1768, 

aged 41. He graduated at H. C, 1767. By his first wife, he 
had — 
52-82 Simon, b. 1750. 

83 Lucy, „ Apr. 11, 1752. 

84 Catharine, „ Apr. 25, 1754. 

He m., 2d, Elizabeth Hall, Oct. 5, 1769, and had by her — 

85 Turell, b. 1770 ; d. June 9, 1842. 

86 Cotton, „ 1772; insane; d. Feb. 12, 1835. 

87 Hall, „ 1775 ; d. at Surinam, July 19, 1801. 

88 Hepzibah, „ 1777 ; m . Benjamin Hall. 

89 Stephen, „ 1779. 

His widow d. Aug. 50, 1830, aged 87. He d. Dec. 31, 1786. 

23-54 William Tufts m. , and had — 

54-90 Catharine, b. 1754. 

23-55 Cotton Tufts m. Smith, sister-in-law of President John 

Adams ; was grad. H. C, 1749, A.A.S. ; lived in Weymouth ; 
Pres. of Mass. Medical Ass. about 1776. His funeral sermon, 
preached by Jacob Norton, is extant. He had an only child, — 
55-91 Cotton. 

23-56 Samuel Tufts, who d. Dec. 31, 1818, m. Hannah Tufts, Apr. 14, 
1757, who d. Mar. 13, 1795, aged 60 ; and had — 

56-92 Susanna, b. May 30, 1759. 

. 93 Samuel, „ Apr., 1761. 

94 Caleb, „ Sept. 1, 1762. 

95 Ezekiel, „ Nov. 19, 1764. 

96 Gershom, „ July 17, 1767. 

97 John, „ June 8, 1772. 

33-61 Joseph Tufts, who d. Dec. 6, 1798, m. Hannah , who d. Sept. 

21, 1779, aged 45 ; and had — 
61-98 Joseph, b. Feb. 17, 1755. 

99 Ammi-Ruhamah, ,, Aug. 18, 1762, 

100 Walter, „ Feb. 17, 1766. 

101 Cotton, „ June, 1768 ; d. July 15, 1777. 

38-65 Nathan Tufts m. Mary Adams, June 6, 1751. He lived at 

Charlestown; where he died, Dec. 21, 1771. He had — 
65-102 Susanna, b. Jan. 31, 1756; m. John Foster. 

103 Mary, „ Mar. 17, 1758 ; „ Seth Stone. 
103J Abigail, „ Jan. 20, 1760; d. 1777. 

104 Daniel, 1757. 

105 Amos, „ July 30, 1762. 

106 Nathan, „ Mar. 23, 1764. 

There was an earlier son, Nathan, who d. Aug. 5, 1702; and perhaps another 
child, who d. young. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 



547 



38-66 Peter Tufts was of Charlestown. He m. Anne Adams, Apr. 19, 

1750 ; and d. Mar. 4, 1791. His wife was b. July 8, 1729 ; 
and d. Feb. 17, 1813. They had — 



66-107 


Peter. 


108 


John, • m. Elizabeth Perry. 


109 


Asa, ,, Martha Adams. 


110 


Joseph, ,, Abigail Tufts. 


111 


Thomas, „ Rebecca Adams. 


112 


Elizabeth, „ Daniel Swan. 


113 


Lucy, „ Jacob Osgood. 


114 


Rebecca, ,, Nathan Adams. 


115 


Lydia, „ Rev. R. Gray, of Dover, N.H., Mar. 22, 1787. 


116 


Sarah, „ Joseph Adams. 


38-68 


Timothy Tufts m. Anna , and had — 


68-117 


Timothy. 


118 


Abijah, b. Apr. 17, 1766 ; grad. H. C, 1815 ; moved to Virginia. 


119 


Anna, „ May 26, 1768 ; m. Mr. Dixon. 


120 


Isaac. 


121 


Joseph, „ Miss Twiss. 


38-69 


Samuel Tufts m. Martha Adams, May 11, 1769. He d. Oct. 24, 




1828. She d. Aug. 28, 1811, aged 65. Children : — 


69-122 


Samuel, b. May 27, 1770 ; d. June 27, 1822. 


123 


Martha, „ Sept. 28, 1773 ; m. Walter Frost, June 21, 1792. 


124 


Lydia, „ May 24, 1778 ; „ John Tapley, Nov. 3, 1795. 


125 


Susan, „ Dec. 8, 1780 ; „ Jotham Johnson, Nov. 4, 1802. 


126 


Mary, „ Nov. 25, 1782 ; „ Ambrose Cole, Apr. 1, 1804. 


127 


Elizabeth, ,, June 27, 1788 ; „ Reuben Hunt. 


39-72 


Benjamin Tufts m. Esther , who d. May 27, 1778, aged 37. 




He d. 1804, and had — 


72-128 


Benjamin, b. Oct. 9, 1761. 


129 


Esther, „ May 30, 1763 ; m. Hezekiah Blanchard. 


130 


Jacob. 


1304 Mary, „ 1779 ; d. c. 1795. 


39-76 


John Tufts m. , and had — 


76-131 


John. 


132 


Peter. d. unm. 



39-77 Hutchinson Tufts, who d. Aug. 2, 1800, m. Mary Grover, and 

had — 
77-133 Hutchinson, b, Dec. 16, 1769. 

134 Mary, m. Jonathan Locke. 

39-78 Francis Tufts m., successively, two sisters named Lunt, and 
had — 

78-135 Francis, moved to Maine. 

136 John. 

137 Benjamin, moved to Ohio. 

138 William. 

139 Mary, in. Mr. Hopkinson. 

55-91 Cotton Tufts, of Weymouth, m. Mercy Brooks, Mar. 6, 1788, 

and had — 
91-140 Quincy, is a merchant in Boston. 

141 Lucy, m. Thomas Tarbell. 

142 Susan. 

143 Mercy. 



548 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



65-104 Daniel Tufts m. Abigail Tufts, and had — 

104-144 Daniel, b. Dec. 31, 1776. 

145 Gilbert, „ Apr. 27, 1778. 

146 Charles, „ 1781. 

147 Nathan, „ Mar., 1786. 

65-105 Amos Tufts m. Deborah Frothingham, and had — 



105-148 Amos, 

149 Deborah, 

150 Joseph F., 

151 Mary, 

152 Abigail, 

153 Nathan Adams, 

154 Amos. 

155 William. 

156 Samuel. 

157 Edward. 



d., aged 14. 
1789; m. Mr. Frothingham. 
1790; d. 1854. 
1793 ; m. James P. Mclntyre. 

d., aged 12. 
1797. 



66-108 
108-158 
159 
160 
161 
162 
163 
164 
165 
166 
167 

66-109 
. 109-168 
169 
170 

66-110 
110-171 
172 
173 
174 
175 
176 
177 
178 
179 
180 
181 

66-111 
111-182 
183 
184 
185 
186 

68-117 



117 



-187 
188 
189 



m 

>> 
d. 



Abigail Wheeler. 
Susan Stone, 
unm. 



John Tufts m. Elizabeth Perry, and had — 

John, 

Benjamin, 

James, 

Elizabeth, 

Cynthia, 

Sophia, 

Lydia, 

Leonard, 

Asa, 

Oliver, b. 1801 ; 



„ aged 6. 

m. David Sanborn. 

„ Hepzibah Fosdick. 

„ Dorothy Danforth. 

„ widow of Ins brother Asa. 



Asa Tufts m. Martha Adams, and had — 

Anna Louisa, m. Theodore Atkinson. 

Charles, d. unm. 

Asa Alford, m. Miss Gilman. 



Joseph Tufts 

Abigail, b 

Joseph, 

Lydia, 

Bernard, 

Asa, 

Lucy, 

Mary, 

Edmund, 

Mercy, 

Harriet, 

Caroline, 



m. Abigail Tufts, and had — 



1785 
1783 ; m. 
1786 ; d. 
1788 ; m. 
1790; „ 
1792; „ 
1793 ; d. 
1795. 
1797; „ 
1799 ; m. 
1801; „ 



Helen Whittemore. 
1808. 

Lucinda Tufts. 
Mary Ann Tufts. 
Gershom Whittemore. 
1820. 

1820. 

James Russell. 

Gershom Whittemore. 



Thomas Tufts m. Rebecca Adams, and had — 
Thomas, d. 1816, aged c. 24. 

Rebecca, ,, „ „ 30. 

Marshall, graduate H. C. 1827. 

Eveline, m. Mr. Rochester, of Ohio. 

Lucy Ann, „ Dr. Proctor, of Castine, Me. 

Timothy Tufts m., 1st, Mary Goddard ; 2d, Mehitable Flagg ; 

and had — 
Timothy, b. 1786 ; m. Susan Cutter. 
Artemas, d. unm. 

Mary, m. Milzar Torrey, and d. 1853. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 549 

And by his second wife, — 

190 Jonas, lives in Charlestown, N.H. 

191 Joshua, unm., ,, „ „ 

192 Submit, m. Mr. Wethcrbee. 

68-120 Isaac Tufts m., 1st, Anna Tufts, and had by her — 

120-193 Anna, m. Samuel Rand. 

194 Martha. 

And by his second wife, Mary Green, — 

195 Lucy. 

196 Mary. 

197 Louisa. 

198 Isaac. 

199 Ann Maria, m. James Sawyer. 

200 Timothy. 

201 George. 

69-122 Samuel Tufts m., 1st, Hannah Tufts, Dec. 3, 1795, and 
had — 

122-202 Hannah, d. aged 17. 

203 Lucinda, m. Bernard Tufts (No. 174). 

204 Mary Ann, „ Asa Tufts (No. 175). 

205 Charles, unm. 

He m., 2d, Grace Barnicott, and had — 

„.„ -nr-iv « j. ( 1st, Abigail Tufts. 

206 William Augustus, m. J 2d) ' Sus ^ Tufts . 

207 John. 

208 Hannah, „ Mr. Davis, of Billerica. 

77-133 Hutchinson Tufts, jun., m. Mary , and had — 

133-209 Hutchinson, b. Feb. 10, 1797. 

210 Mary, „ Mar. 6, 1799 ; d. aged four days. 

104-144 Daniel Tufts, jun., whod. June 12, 1826, m. llhoda Wyman, 
May 25, 1786, who d. March 17, 1816 ; and had — 

144-211 Cornelius, b. Aug. 12, 1786. 

212 llhoda, „ Aug. 27, 178S. 

213 Ruth, „ Dec. 11, 1790. 

214 Tryphena, „ Feb. 6, 1793. 

215 Pamela Wyman, „ Mar. 23, 1796. 

216 Lucy, „ Aug. 28, 1799. 

104-145 Gilbert Tufts m. Mary Chickering, and had — 

145-217 Abby, m. Fred. Williams. 

218 Gilbert, „ Charlotte Fitz. 

219 Caroline, b. 1822; „ Dr. J. E. Bartlett, and d. 1851. 

220 Sarah Scholfield. 

221 Arthur Webster, „ Anna Hooker. 

104-147 Nathan Tufts m. Sarah Miller, and had — 

147-222 Sarah Elizabeth, b. 1811 ; m. Andrew B. Kidder. 

223 MaryTapley, „ 1813; d. 1833. 

224 Martha, „ 1815. 

225 Nathan, „ 1818; m. Mary Jane Fitz. 

226 Marcellus, „ 1820; d. 1822. 

227 Hannah Johnson, „ 1822; m. Dr. Chauncey Booth. 

228 Daniel, „ 1825; d. 1825. 

229 Francis, „ 1827 ; grad. H. C, 1849. 

110-172 Joseph Tufts m. Helen Whittemore, and had — 

172-230 Joseph Binford, grad. H. C, 1849. 

231 Helen Emily, m. Theodore Buckman. 



550 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



232 


William Whittemore, b. 1830. ' 


233 


Benjamin, „ 1833 ; d. young. 


110-174 


Bernard Tufts m. Lucincla Tufts (No. 203), and had — 


174-234 


Joseph Bernard, lives in Billerica. 


235 


Edmund. 


236 


Alfred, b. c. 1837. 


110-175 


Asa Tufts m. Mary Ann Tufts (No. 204), and had — 


175-237 


Harriett, m. Mr. Holbrook. 


238 


Mary Ann. 


239 


Elizabeth. 


240 


Caroline. 


241 


Lucy. 


242 


Mercy. 


243 


Abby. 


244 


Henry Clay. 


245 


Alice. 



The following branches I have not been able to locate authoritatively ; but those marked with 
(I?) rest upon the decisions of Dr. Boothe, whose large collection of genealogical matters re- 
lating to this family has been a very great aid to me. 

246 James Tufts is said (B) to have been a son of Peter (No. 1) ; 

m. Mary Dill, Sept. 4, 1729. He is supposed to have been 
killed by the Indians, as an old family tradition reports. He 
had — 

246-247 James Tufts, who m., 1st, Phebe Woods, of Groton, and had — 

a. Andrew, b. Oct. 11, 1748 ; d. Oct. 25, 1752. 

b. Nathaniel, „ 1746 ; „ March 20, 1752. 

From him may have been descended — 

248 James Tufts, jun., who m. Tabitha Binford, Apr. 19, 1757, 

who d. Oct. 25, 1766, aged 67. Children : — 

248-249 Mary ' b. Nov. 21, 1752. 

250 Abigail, „ Jan. 5, 1758. 

251 Daniel, „ Mar. 30, 1759. 

252 Abigail, „ July 24, 1761. 

253 Mercy, „ Sept. 21, 1765. 

He d. June 12, 1769, aged 67. 

Peter Tufts (No. 2) is said to have had (B) two children be- 
sides those previously recorded : — 
2-254 Samuel, b. 1709. 
255 William, „ 1713. 

2-254 Samuel Tufts m. , and had — 

254-256 Anna, b. 1744. 

2-255 William Tufts m., 1st, Catherine Wyman, who d. 1749 ; and 

had — 

255-256£ Catharine, b. Mar. 31, 1734. 

257 William, „ Mar. 27, 1736. 

258 George, „ Jan. 10, 1747. 

259 Grimes, „ Dec. 4, 1748. 
2594 Uriah. 

He m., 2d, Mary Francis, Feb. 8, 1750, and had — 

260 Mary, b. Apr. 25, 1751. 

261 Samuel, „ Aug. 19, 1752. 

262 Lucy, „ Apr. 21, 1754 ; m. Thomas Pritchard. 
262£ Francis, „ Francis. 

263 David, „ June 30, 1758. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 551 

264 Sarah, b. Jan. 14, 1760. 

265 David, „ June 17, 1763. 

266 Richard, „ Nov., 1765. 
266«. Moses. 
2266. Aaron. 

He d. Oct. 29, 1783. 

255-267 Samuel Tufts m. Margaret Hodgkins, who d. Aug. 7, 1793. 

He d. Nov. 29, 1815, and had — 
267 a. Margaret, b. 1779 ; m. Samuel Swan, jun. 

b. Samuel, „ 1784; d. 1821. 

e. William, „ Mar. 21, 1787. 

267d. John Tufts m. Sarah , and had — 

267^.-268 William, b. Sept. 4, 1727. 

269 John, „ Mar. 29, 1729. 

270 Ichabod, „ May 16, 1731. 

271 Ebenezer, „ Nov. 9, 1733. 

272 Sarah, „ May 4, 1736 ; d. June, 25, 1738. 

273 James, „ Nov. 3, 1738 ; „ Aug. 12, 1739. 

274 Sarah, „ Aug. 12, 1740. 

275 Barnaby, „ Feb. 12, 1743. 

276 Ichabod Tufts, m. Rebecca Francis, May 17, 1753, and 

had — 
276-276a. John. 

b. Samuel. 

c. Rebecca. 

276d. Ebenezer Tufts m. Rachel Whitmore, Feb. 17, 1731, and 

had — 
276d.-276e. Rachel, b. Mar. 21, 1732. 

276/. William Tufts, jun., m. Catharine Tufts, Jan. 10, 1750. He 

had — 

276/.-277 Ebenezer. b. July 20, 1753 ; d. Sept. 30, 1760. 

278 Eunice, ' „ Oct. 2, 1755. 

279 Zachariah, „ Dec. 15, 1759. 

280 Ebenezer, „ Apr. 19, 1761. 

281 William, „ Aug. 24, 1762. 

282 Eliakim, „ Sept. 4, 1767. 

283 William Tufts, 3d, m. Rebecca Tufts, Feb. 15, 1753 ; and d. 

Oct. 24, 1775. He had — 
283-284 Rebecca, b. July 1, 1754 ; m. Manning. 

285 William, „ May 20, 1756 ; d. young. 

286 William, „ Jan. 11, 1758. 
286£ Abigail, „ May 9, 1760. 

287 Lucy, „ Nov. 19, 1762 ; „ Aug. 28, 1767. 

288 Lydia, „ June 25, 1765. 

289 John, „ Apr. 2, 1768. 

290 William Tufts, 4th, m. Susanna . He died Apr. 27, 

1782, leaving — 

290-291 Nathan, b. May 16, 1754. 

292 Susanna, „ Mar. 28, 1756. 

293 Elinor, „ July 20, 1759. 

294 Abigail, „ May 8, 1760. 

295 Aaron, „ Dec. 18, 1761. 

296 William, „ Aug. 20, 1764. 

297 James Tufts m. Phebe , and had — 



■JO 



9 



HISTORY OF MXDFORD. 



. 

300 

300- 
302 
303 

304 

304- ' 

303 
309 



309-310 
311 

312 

313 

313-314 
315 
316 
317 

. -319 
320 
321 

.. 
323 

324 
- -325 

27 

n - - 

330 
331 
332 

333 
333-334 

335 

335- 

337 

339 
340 

341 

341-342 
343 



>" .: 



b. M _ . ' . 

„ Oct. 9, : 



rami Trris m. Mary , and had — 

Gershom, b. Oct. 2, 1754. 

- • 

I tits (possibly 3S) m. Deborah. 
80,1721. 



Dec. 9, I " 

Sept. 25. . " 



-, and had • 



172 



a, ,, July, 12, 173 

:. Tufts (probaV.v X:. 267) m. Abigail 
I — 
r.ezer, b. Dec 16, 17 
„ June 1. 17 
Ruth, „ Dec 30, 1766. 



-, ud 



-:...!.. .beth 
Jonathan, t 

5 



-, and had — 



. - 



,1770. 



A :_ - „ Dec. 12. I " 

Isaac Terrs m. Martha , and had — 

ha, b. .. - .1770. 

Isa „ Dec. 14, 1771. 

".ia Hall, „ Aug. 25, 177 
Seth, ,, Sept. 14, 1774. 

Lvdia Hall, „ July : " 

11-- Tufts m. Phebe Thompson, Mar 7, 1767, and had — 
Moses, b. June S, 1771. 

.7, 1775. 
Rhoda, d. Sept 14, 1773. 

3 Tufts m. Ruth Binford, May 27, 1790, and had — 
Jacob, b. Mar. 5, 1 " 
Andrew, „ Feb. 21, 

„ Sept. 7, 1796. 
Thomas, „ Sept. 29, 1799. 

Bbxmmih Tufts m. Elizabeth , and had — 

Eli zabeth, b. Feb. 21, 1780. 

Bkswoh Tufts, jun,, m. Hannah Turner, May 17, 1796, and 

had — 
Benjamin, b. Apr. 9, 17 
Hannah, „ ill 

o-d, „ Mar. 5, 1804. 

» -■ 96. 

Andre-.v, „ Oct. 14, 1S03. 

>"aihjl>- Tons, jun., m. Sarah Trefrav, Feb. 22, 177". and 

had — 
Sarah, b. Apr. 9, 17 

an, ,, Jan. 19, 17 

Same as No. 29 1. 






Joseph Trrrs m. Esther 



and had — 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 



553 



345-346 
347 
348 
349 
350 

351 

351-352 
353 
354 

355 

355-356 
357 
358 
359 
360 
361 
362 

104-144 

144-363 
364 



365 
366 



Joseph, 

Esther, 

Rebecca, 

Lucy, 

Cotton, 



367 
368 

368-369 
370 
371 



b. Jan. 24, 1781. 
„ Nov. 21, 1782. 
„ Feb. 6, 1785. 
„ July 20, 1787. 
„ Feb. 1, 1790. 



George Tufts m. Elizabeth , and had — 

Elizabeth, b. Sept. 14, 1776. 
John, „ Oct. 30, 1778. 

Call, „ Oct. 30, 1781. 

James Tufts, jun., m. Elizabeth , and had — 

Mary, b. Sept. 18, 1775. 
James, „ Feb. 25, 1777. 
Elizabeth, „ Jan. 5, 1779. 
Lucretia, „ Oct. 14, 1780. 
Mercy, „ Aug. 9, 1782. 
Sarah, „ Aug. 1, 1785. 
Elias, „ Jan. 30, 1787. 

Daniel Tufts m. Martha Bradshaw, and had — 
Martha, m. Thatcher Magoun. 

Abby, ii Dr. John Neilson. 

This family differs from the one previously inserted from my own MSS., 
and is here given on the authority of Dr. Booth. It is probably correct. 

Mary, dau. of Hannah Tufts, b. May 2, 1759. 
, a son „ „ n n Jan. 6, 1761. 

Elizabeth, dau. of Phebe Tufts, b. Jan. 2, 1760 ; d. July 23, 1760. 

James Tufts m. Ruth , who d. Nov. 26, 1721, aged 39; 

and had — 
Susanna, b. 1716 ; d. July 8, 1739. 

Grimes, „ Jan., 1721 ; „ Nov. 28, 1721. 
Ruth, „ 1730 ; „ Apr. 27, 1736. 

He was probably father of William (255), and same as James (247). 



Feb. 26, 
Feb. 17, 
Feb. 17, 
May 18, 
Nov. 1, 
May 14, 
Dec. 17, 
Mar., 
Dec. 21, 
Mar. 26, 
N6v. 14, 
Aug. 21, 
Nov. 3, 
Nov. 20, 
Nov. 25, 
Feb. 5, 
May 19, 
May 11, 
Nov. 24, 
May 23, 
Mar. 31, 



1729. 
1731. 
1732. 
1767. 
1770. 
1772. 
1772. 
1774. 
1775. 
1776. 
1776. 

1777. 

1777. 

1777. 

1777. 

1778. 

1778. 

1779. 

1779. 

1781. 

1783. 



Marriages and 

Elizabeth 

Elizabeth 

Ebenezer 

Ruth 

Lydia 

Hannah 

Mercy 

Rebecca 

Anna 

Eunice 

Rebecca 

Elizabeth 

Mary 

Lucy 

Mary 

Eleanor 

John 

Benjamin 

Abigail 

Sarah 

Abigail 



deaths not previously recorded. 

Tufts, m. John Foskit. 
„ „ Jonathan Hall. 

„ Rachel Whitmore. 

Thomas Binford. 

Daniel "Wiswall, of Cambridge. 

Watts Turner. 

Isaac Greenleaf. 

Thomas Manning. 

Abel Richardson. 

Joseph Trask, of Boston. 

Aaron Blanchard. 

Daniel Swan. 

Daniel Collins, of Gloucester. 

Benjamin Hall, jun. 

Richard Clark, of Watertown. 

Isaac Green, of Lexington. 

Elizabeth Perry, of Cambridge. 
„ Lydia Francis. 
„ Joshua Synionds, jun. 
„ Asa Richardson, of Billerica. 
,, Joseph Tui'ts, of Charlestown. 

70 



ii 
ii 
ii 



ii 

ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 



ii 

ii 
>i 
ii 
ii 
ii 



ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 



554 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Sept. 30 
Dec. 16 
Jan. 13 
June 12 
Mar. 9 
Jan. 22 
July 27 
July 9 
Jan. 6 
Nov. 10 
July 12 
Oct. 4 
Jan. 8 
Apr. 26 
Nov. 16 
Apr. 23 
May 19 
Sept. 1 
Nov. 18 
Nov. 12 
Oct. 1 
June 20 
Dec. 6 
Jan. 12 
Sept. 19 
Mar. 16 
June 12 
Sept. 26 
Nov. 5 
Sept. 10 
Nov. 3 
May 4 
Aug. 12 
July 19 
Aug. 12 
Jan. 24 
Sept. 26 
Dec. 6 
Dec 
Dec 
June 22 
Jan. 26 
Jan. 2 
June 12 
Dec. 21 
Jan. 1 
Nov. 26 
Nov. 2 
July 17 
June 25 
May 18 
Jan. 26 
Mar. 24 
Dec. 26 
Sept. 3 
Sept. 19 



21 
23 



1784. 

1784. 

1785. 

1785. 

1786. 

1789. 

1790. 

1792. 

1793. 

1793. 

1795. 

1795. 

1797. 

1798. 

1797. 

1799. 

1730. 

1730. 

1741. 

1743. 

1765. 

1788. 

1788. 

1779. 

1779. 

1773. 

1784. 

1784. 

1786. 

1787. 

1788. 

1849. 

1835. 

1733. 

1739. 

1750. 

1784. 

1778. 

1758. 

1753. 

1778. 

1743. 

1749. 

1784. 

1771. 

1770. 

1721. 

1721. 

1742. 

1738. 

1747. 

1750. 

1843. 

1733. 

1748. 

1736. 



Rebecca Tufts, m. John Blanchard. 

Esther ,, ,, Hezekiah Blanchard, jun. 

Jonathan „ „ Deborah Bucknam. 

Francis ,, „ Hannah Greenleaf. 

Elizabeth „ „ Edmund T. Gates. 

Nathan, jun. ,, „ Mary Thompson. 

Elizabeth „ ,, David Parker, of Cambridge. 

Joseph, jun. „ „ Sarah Turner. 

Lydia ,, ,, John Albree, of Salem. 

Simon „ „ Susanna Hickling Cox. 

Mrs. Elizabeth „ „ Duncan Ingraham, of Concord. 

Mary ,, „ Benjamin Keed. 

Joseph, jun. ,, ,, Nancy Bucknam. 

Lydia Hall ,, „ Isaac Floyd. 

Isaac „ „ Ann Tufts. 

Nathan, jun. „ „ Mary Gilbert, of Charlestown. 

Hannah Tufts m. Solomon Hancock, of Charlestown. 

James Tufts, of Charlestown, m. Mary Dill. 

Jonathan Tufts, of Charlestown, m. Sarah Tompson. 

Benj. Tufts m. Hannah Johnson, of Woburn. 

Sarah, widow of Jonathan Tufts, d. 

Mrs. Lydia „ ,, 

Mr. Joseph „ „ 

Mrs. Rebecca ,, „ 

, widow of Joseph ,, ,, 

Ruth ,, „ 

Nathan „ ,, 

Jonathan 

James 

Eleazer 

Isaac 

Isaac 

Jacob 

James 

James, s. of John and Sarah 

Jonathan 

Jonathan 

Joseph 

Joseph 

Lydia, wife of James 

Lydia, wife of Joseph 

Mary, wife of Benjamin 

Nathan 

Nathan 

Nathaniel 

Rhoda, d. of M. and Phebe 

Ruth, wife of James 

Sarah, d. of James and Ruth 






aged 20. 
» 17. 



»> 

>> 
>> 

I! 



Dec. 21, 1771. 



Sarah, „ of John and Sarah 

Sarah, ,, ,, ,, ,, 

Sarah, wife of John 

Seth, s. of Jona. and Han. 

Sarah 

Thomas 

Tabitha, d. of Jona. and Han. 

William Henry 

Catharine, wife of "William 

Daniel 

Nathaniel 






>> 






44. 
44. 
59. 

9 months. 
60 years. 
45. 
47. 
54. 
50. 
75. 
34. 
60. 
44. 
48. 

14 days. 
40 years. 

3. 
17. 

2. 
38. 

3. 
78. 
51. 
24. 
44. 
32. 
69. 
48. 






/ 






REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 555 



Tufts, 


d., 


aged 24. 


>» 


>> 


»» 


57. 


ife of James T. „ 


>» 


>» 


82. 


>> 


ii 


ii 


62. 



Jan. 4, 1782. William 

Apr. 30, 1779. Mary 

Mar. 16, 1806. Tabitha 

Nov. 5, 1786. James 

1 TURELL, DANIEL, the ancestor of the Medford line, came from 

Instow, co. Devon, a place between Barnstable and Bideford ; 
was a captain at Boston, 1646 ; and. d. Jan. 23, 1699. He m. 

Lydia , who d. 1658 ; when he m. Mary, widow of John 

Barrell, and dau. of Elder William Colburn ; and had — 

1-2 Daniel, b. 16, 6 mo., 1646. 

3 Joseph, „ Dec. 27, 1653. 

4 Samuel, „ June 14, 1659. 

5 Lydia, „ Nov. 30, 1660. 

6 Colbourne, „ Dec. 4, 1662. 

9 Benjamin, „ June 24, 1665. 

William Turell, of Boston, is thought to have been the 
brother of the above-mentioned Daniel; -and, as "Farmer's 
Register " countenances the supposition, I insert the record of 

his children. He m. Rebecca , and had — 

Rebecca, b. Dec. 26, 1655. 
William, „ Mar. 16, 1657. 

1-2 Daniel Turell, jun., m. Anne , and had — 

2-10 Mary, b. Apr. 4, 1672. 

11 Anna, „ Mar. 31, 1674. 

12 Lydia, „ Jan. 17, 1678. 

13 John, „ Apr. 18, 1693. 

14 Humphrey, „ Sept. 22, 1696. 

1- 3 Joseph Turell m. Sarah , who d., perhaps, Jan. 15, 1728, 

aged 68 ; and had — 
3-15 Sarah, b. Oct. 31, 1679. 

16 Humphrey, „ May 21, 1681. 

1- 4 Samuel Turell m. Lydia, dau. of Anthony Stoddard, and had — 

c Whittemore, and had Da- 

4-16-i Mary, m. J nid and Samue i. 

17 John, b. July 3, 1687. 

18 Christian, „ Dec. 17, 1688 ; „ Samuel Bass. 
184 Lydia, » Cornelius Thayer. 

19 Ebenezer, „ Feb. 5, 1702. 

4-19 Ebenezer Turell, the minister, grad. 1721 ; studied with Rev. 

Benjamin Colman; settled at M., 1724, where he d., Dec. 8, 
1778. He m., 1st, Jane Colman, Aug. 11, 1726, who d. Mar. 
26, 1735 ; when he m., 2d, Oct. 23, 1735, Lucy, dau. of Adding- 
ton Davenport, who d. May 17, 1759, aged 45. He m., 3d, 
Aug. 21, 1760, Jane, d. of Wm. Pepperell, of Kittery (who had m. 
twice before; viz., 1st, Benjamin Clark; and, 2d, Wm. Tyler), 
who d. Feb. 6, 1765. He had issue only by his first wife ; viz., — 
19-20 Samuel, b. Feb. 2, 1729 ; d. Oct. 8, 1736. 

20£ Clark- Thomas, bapt. Aug. 18, 1728 ; „ young. 
And two children who d. infants. 



QtLrf 



17 ZJ 



556 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



4-18 Christian Tukell m., 1st, Samuel Bass ; 2d, John Armstrong. 

21 Joseph Tukell, who is supposed to have been a cousin of Rev. 

Ebenezer T., m., 1st, a dau. of John Avis, and had — 
21-22 Joseph, b. 1750. 

23 Elizabeth, „ 1755 ; m. Noyes. 

24 Samuel, „ 1757. 

He m., 2d, Mary Morey, of Roxbury, and had — 

25 A dau., m. Ed. Gray ; eh. were Mrs. Fales, Edward Gray, John 

Gray, and the late F. T. Gray. 

21-22 Joseph Turell, jun., m. , and had two sons, Charles 

and John : of whom Charles had several children, one of whom, 
Garland, is a resident of Boston. 



1 USHER, HEZEKIAH, was a prominent merchant of Boston, and 

in his will, dated March 11, 1676, mentions children : — 
1- 2 Hezekiah, b. June, 1639. 

3 Elizabeth, m. Hezekiah Browne. 

4 John, „ Apr. 27, 1648. 

5 Hannah, „ Peter Butler. 

6 Sarah, „ Jonathan Tyng. 

His second wife, Elizabeth, was dau. of Rev. Zachary Symmes, 
by whom he had — 

7 Zachariah, b. Dec. 26, 1654. 

He m., 3d, Mary (Butler ?). His brothers and sisters were — 

8 Samuel, who never came to this country. 

9 Robert, of Conn. 

10 Elizabeth, m. John Harwood, of London. 

11 , „ Robert Rolph, of Twitts, Eng. 

12 , „ Robert Alfery, of Mayfield, Eng. 

9 Robert Usher was of Stamford, Conn., and had — 

9-13 Robert. 
14 Elizabeth. 

1- 2 Hezekiah Usher m. Frances, dau. of Lady Alice Lisle, who d. 

May 25, 1723. She was the widow of Dr. Leonard Hoar, third 
Pres. H. C, who d. Nov. 28, 1675. By her Hezekiah Usher 
had — 
2-15 Hezekiah, b. 6, 4mo., 1639. 

16 John, „ 11, 7 „ 1643 ; d. 10mo., 1645. 

17 Elizabeth, „ 1, 12 „ 1645. 

He d. July 11, 1697, probably without surviving issue. 

1- 4 John Usher m., 1st, Elizabeth, dau. of Peter Sidgett, and had by 

her — 

4-18 Elizabeth, b. June 18, 1669 ; m. i J; /^J ^ ™> 1686 ; and 

19 Jane, „ Mar. 2, 1678. 

He m., 2d, Elizabeth Allen, and had — 

20 John, b. 1699. 

21 Frances, m. Joseph Parsons. 

22 Hezekiah. 

23 Elizabeth, „ Stephen Harris. 

He was a Mandamus Councillor, and Lieut. -Governor of New 
Hampshire. He moved to Medford, and d. there Sept. 5, 
1726. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 557 



9-13 Robert Usher was of Dunstable. He m. , and had — 

13-24 John, b. May 31, 1696. 

25 Robert, „ June, 1700 ; killed in " Lovewell's Fight." 

4-20 John Usher, jun., H. C. 1719, was a minister, and d. Apr. 30, 

1775, leaving a son, — 
20-26 John, b. 1723 ; d. July, 1804, minister at Bristol. 

13-24 John Usher, of Dunstable, m. , and had — 

24-27 John, b. May 2, 1728. 

28 Robert, „ Apr. 9, 1730. 

29 Rachel, „ 1732. 

30 Habijah, „ Aug. 8,1734; „ , who d. Oct. 19, 1791. 

24-28 Robert Usher m. , and moved to Medford, where he d. 

Oct. 13, 1793. He had — 
28-31 Eleazer, b. 1770. , 

28-31 Eleazer Usher, of Medford, m. Fanny Bucknam, who d. Dec. 

23, 1848. He d. Apr. 9, 1852. Children : — 

m. John "Wade. 

1st, W. Griffin ; 2d, W. Smith. 
1st, Fr. Wade ; 2d, A. Ilulin. 
Arley Plummer. 
Charles Philbrick. 



31-32 


John G., 


b. 


Sept. 


5, 


1800. 




33 


Sarah B., 










m 


34 


Fanny, 










i) 


35 


Mary Ann, 










ia 


36 


Lydia C, 










>» 


37 


Nancy A., 










>> 


38 


Eleazer, 


»> 


Aug. 


25, 


1810. 




39 


James M., 


>» 


Nov. 


12, 


1814. 




40 


Leonard B. 


>> 


Mar. 


3, 


1817. 




41 


Henry W., 


>> 


Nov. 




1819. 




42 


Roland G., 


ij 


Jan. 


6, 


1823. 





31-32 John G. Usher m. Mary C. George, of Haverhill, who was b. 

Mar. 21, 1803 ; and has — 
32-43 Helen M., b. Mar. 17, 1828. 

31-38 Eleazer Usher m. Jane K. Hartwell, Apr. 6, 1840, b. Sept. 10, 

1820. Children: — 
38-44 Charles N., b. Sept. 20, 1841. 

45 George H., „ Jan. 25, 1844. 

46 Pamelia A., „ Sept. 17, 1846 ; d. Nov. 9, 1848. 

47 ' Warren H., „ Aug. 18, 1848. 

48 John G., „ Aug. 27, 1853. 

31-39 James M. Usher m. Pamelia Pray, June 11, 1838, and has — 

39-49 James F., b. Oct. 1, 1839. 

50 Roland G., „ Sept. 11, 1843. 

51 MaryF., „ July 12, 1850. 

31-40 Leonard B. Usher, b. Mar. 3, 1817 ; m., May 11, 1843, LydiaM. 

Jacobs, who was b. July 24, 1819; and had — 
40-52 George L., b. May 15, 1844 ; d. Aug. 26, 1844. 
53 Frederic W., „ Oct. 5, 1847. 
64 Fannie E., „ Nov. 22, 1850. 
55 Leonard B., „ Jan. 21, 1852 ; „ Aug. 23, 1852. 

31-41 Henry W. Usher m. Deborah Cook, and has — 

41-56 Ella G. 

57 James L. 

58 Horace H. 

59 Arthur H. 



558 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



31-42 Roland G. Usher m. Caroline M. Mudge, Jan. 5, 1844, and had 

42-60 Caroline A., b. Dec. 5, 1847 ; d. Nov., 1848. 

Gl Abbott L., „ Aug. 19, 1849 ; „ Nov. 13, 1854. 

62 Edward P., „ Nov. 19, 1851. 

63 Caroline M., „ Mar. 28, 1855. 



1 "WADE, JONATHAN, was one of the early settlers at Ipswich, 
where he was freeman, 1634. His second wife was Mrs. Dorothy 
Buckley, whom he m. Dec. 9, 1660; and his third wife, Su- 
sannah , d. Nov. 29, 1678. He had two bros., Nathaniel 

and Thomas. He d. Dec, 1683, leaving — 

1- 2 Jonathan, b. 1637. 

3 Nathaniel. 

4 Thomas. 

5 Prudence m $ lst ' Anthon y Crosby. 
rrudence, m. ^ ^ g amuel Rogers> 

6 Susannah, „ William Symonds. 

7 Elizabeth, „ Elihu Wardwell. 

1- 2 Jonathan Wade, jun., m. Deborah, dau. of Hon. Thos. Dudley, 

who d. Nov. 1, 1683, aged 39. He had by her — 

2- 8 Dudley, b. Oct. 18, 1683. 

He m., 2d, Elizabeth , by whom he had — 

Elizabeth, b. 1687. 

Dorothy, „ Feb, 17, 1689. 

He d. Nov. 24, 1689. 

1- 3 Nathaniel Wade m. Mercy Bradstreet, Oct. 31, 1672 ; and d. 

Nov. 28, 1707. His widow d. Oct. 5, 1715, aged 68. His chil- 
dren were — 

3- 9 Nathaniel, b. July 13, 1673. 

t fenaj"^- 9 ' 1676 ' d - y° un S' 

10 Mercy, „ Sept. 19, 1678 ; m. John Bradstreet, Oct. 9, 1698. 

11 Jonathan, „ Mar. 5, 1681. 

12 Samuel, „ Dec. 31, 1683. 

13 Anne, „ Oct. 7, 1685. 

14 Dorothy, „ Mar. 12, 1687; „ Jona. Willis, Oct. 17, 1706. 

1- 4 Thomas Wade, of Ipswich, m. Elizabeth Cogswell, 1670 ; and d. 

Oct. 4, 1696, leaving — 
4-15 Jonathan. 

16 Thomas. 

164 John, minister at Berwick ; H.C. 1693. 

17 Nathaniel. 

18 William, killed at sea, Apr. 3, 1697. 

3-11 Jonathan Wade m. Mary , and had — 

11-19 Mercy, b. Apr, 8, 1704. 
20 Nathan, „ Feb. 22, 1706. 

3-12 Samuel Wade m. Lydia Newhall, Oct. 17, 1706. He d. Dec. 9, 
1738, leaving — 

12-21 Lydia, b. Sept. 10, 1707. 

22 Sarah, „ Jan. 18, 1709. 

23 Dorothy, „ Feb. 22, 1711. 

24 Rebecca, „ Jan. 28, 1713 ; m. Z.Poole, of Read., Sept, 18, 1730. 

25 Samuel, „ Apr. 21, 1715. 

26 Nathaniel, „ Feb. 20, 1720. 

27 Simon, „ Mar. 28, 1725. 

28 Elizabeth, „ May 18, 1729. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 659 



28 J Samuel Wade m. » and nad ~" 

28i-29 James, b. June, 1750. 
30 Edward, „ June 7, 1746. 

A dau. m - Mr - P e * ter 






Barker. 
Weeden. 



Wade m. , and had — 

31 John. 

28^-29 James Wade m. Mary, dau. of Rev. Edward Upham, of Newport, 

29 -32 Marla^ * *" " - W, ?& of Windsor, Wis. 

33 Nancy B., ., ™£ ?"** ;. 

34 Mary. » Wiluam Bettis. 

35 James. 

36 Samuel. 

37 Theodore L. ♦ 

38 Charles H. 

39 Benjamin F. 

40 Edward. 

28£-30 Edward Wade m. Rebecca Harnden, June 10, 1770, and had — 
30-41 Edward, b. Mar. 5, 1780. 

42 Fitch, umn - 

2 SSa rn."Major John Wade. 

45 lST - ^nen Waitt, of Maiden. 

ar Pnmplia »» Daniel Waitt, „ » 

t? Ssan ' " 1* Ezra Green ; 2d, Eb. Townsend. 

29-35 James Wade m. Sarah Mulford, and has — 

35-48 Ezekiel M., b. Nov. 14, 1814. 

49 James, „ Jan. 28, 1824. 

50 Edward, „ Oct., 1829. 

29-36 Samuel Wade m. Emily Caldwell^and had — 

""8 CaSe T., b. July 6, 1822 ; m. Philander Warren. 

53 Gertrude, „ Jan. 2, 1825. 

54 Thalia, ,, Jan. 13, 1833. 

55 Edward, 3d,,, Feb. 12,1838. 

29-37 Theodore L. Wade m. Augusta Bettes, and has — 

37-55£ Ellen, b. July 26, 1836. 

56 Sedgwick M., „ Oct. 28, 1838. 

57 Marcia, ,, Oct. 4, 1840. 

29-38 Charles H. Wade m. Juliet Spear, and has — 

38-58 Benjamin F., b. May 3, 1832. 

59 Decius S., „ Jan. 23, 1835. 

60 Lucia A., „ May 30, 1846. 
Benjamin F. Wade m. Caroline Rosencrans, and had - 

39-61 James Wade, 3d, b. 1843. 

62 Henry, » Aug., 1845. 

-40 Edward Wade m. Sarah Louisa Atkins, and has — 

40-63 WiUiam 0., b. Sept. 4, 1837. 

64 Sarah F., „ Mar. 15, 1840. 

Edward Wade m. Nancy Hoskins, Oct. 26, 1814 ; and d. Nov. 
27, 1836, leaving — 
41-65 Fitch. 



29-39 



29-40 



30-41 



560 HISTORY* OF MEDFORD. 



66 Esther, in. Isaac Wetherbee. 

67 Elizabeth, ,, Daniel Hitchins. 

68 Martha, ,, Abiel Winship. 

I find, in the church records, a copy of the inscription on the Wade Tomb, with the follow- 
ing remark on it : " The following is copied from a communication of Turell Tufts, Esq. ; there 
is apparently some error in it. — C. Stetson." 

Major Wade's tomb was purchased by the late Ebenezer Hall, and is now in possession of his 
children. The old tablet removed by Mr. Hall was of red sandstone, and contained the fol- 
lowing inscriptions : — 

" Here lyeth interred the body of Major Jonathan Wade, Esquire, who departed this life the 
24th of November, anno Dom. 1689, in the 53d year of his age. 

" Also the body of Dorothy Wade, wife to said Jonathan Wade, Esquire, daughter of Hon- 
ourable Thomas Dudley, Esquire, deceased the 1st of November, 1638, in the 40th year of her 
age. 

" Also the body of Dudley Wade, son of said Jonathan Wade, Esquire; and 

"Also the body of Dorothy Wade, daughter of the said Jonathan Wade, Esquire. 

" And Elizabeth Wade, his last wife, who was born the 7th of February, 1637, and deceased 
the month of June, 1688." [This last date was 1678.] 

[Here follows the place for two names, illegible.] 

" Here lies interred the body of Mrs. Elizabeth Wade, daughter of the Honourable Jonathan 
Wade, Esquire, and Mrs. Elizabeth, his wife, who departed this life August 19, 1721, aged 34 
years." 

Prudence Wade m. Thomas Swan, of Roxbury, Sept. 27, 1692. 
Abigail ,, „ Rev. Thomas Goss, of Boston, Dec. 3, 1741. 

Johu „ „ Elizabeth Poole, Jan. 22, 1766. 

Major Samuel „ d. Nov. 28, 1707. 
Mercy, wife of same „ Oct. 5, 1715, aged 68. 



1 WAIT, PETER, had by wife Sarah, who d. Aug. 16, 1717, — 

1- 2 Sarah, b. Jan. 15, 1714. 
3 Mercy,,, Apr. 28, 1716. 



1 WARREN, ISAAC, m., 1st, Ruth Hall, Nov. 19, 1741, who d. 

Oct. 14, 1749 ; by whom he had — 

1- 2 Isaac, b. Dec. 13, 1745. 

3 Abigail, „ June 22, 1748. 

And, 2d, Elizabeth, dau. of Samuel Reeves, Oct. 3, 1754, who 
d. Mar. 11, 1791 ; and had — 

4 Thomas, b. Dec. 19, 1755. 

5 Elizabeth, „ Nov. 8, 1757. 

He d. Nov, 22, 1794, aged 80. 

1- 2 Isaac Warren m. Elizabeth , and had — 

2- 6 Isaac, b. Aug. 9, 1787. 

7 Amos, „ 1789. 

8 George W., Mayor of Charlestown. 



1 WEBER, BENJAMIN, m. Susanna Whkmore, Sept. 6, 1727, 

and had — 

1- 2 Susanna, b. Mar. 21, 1728. 

3 Martha, „ Aug. 2, 1729. 

4 Benjamin, „ Eeb. 14, 1731. 
6 John „ Dec. 5. 1732. 

He d. July 27, 1732, aged 34. 

6 Josiah Weber m. Elizabeth , and had — 

6- 7 Elizabeth, b. July 27, 1744. 

8 Josiah, „ Oct. 26, 1745. 

9 Benjamin, „ June 15, 1748. 

10 James Weber m. Susanna , and had — 

10-11 James, b. Apr. 27, 1754. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 



561 



12 

12-13 
14 



James "Weber m. Sarah ■, and had — 

Sarah, b. Aug. 19, 1758. 
Mary, „ May 9, 1760. • 

Jonathan Weber m. Mary Whitmore, Aug. 19, 1725 ; and d. Oct. 
16, 1730, aged 28. 

James Weber d. Mar. 19, 1729, aged 64 ; probably father of Jona- 
than, James, Benjamin, and Nathan. 

Nathan Weber d. Oct. 15, 1739, aged 35. 

Mary „ m. Joseph White, of Lexington, Jan. 1, 1735. 



1 WHITMORE, FRANCIS, b. 1625; m. Isabel, dau. of Richard 

Parke, of Cambridge, who is believed to have been son of Henry 
Parke, a merchant of London. By his first wife, who d. Mar. 
31, 1665, he had — 
1- 2 Elizabeth, b. May 2, 1649 ; m. Daniel Markham. 

Francis, „ Oct. 12,1650; remov.to Middlet., Ct., and left heirs. 

John, „ Oct. 1, 1654. 

Samuel, „ May 1, 1658 ; „ „ Lexington, „ „ „ 

Abigail, „ July 3, 1660; m. Wilcox. 

Sarah, „ Mar. 7, 1662 ; „ William Locke. 



3 

4 
5 
6 

7 




Wc* vA'A»w 



tf/ft-gf^ Jogi&Mo*' 



He m., 2d, Margaret Harty, Nov. 10, 1666, who d. Mar. 1, 1686 ; 
and had — 

8 Margaret, b. Sept. 9, 1668 ; m. Thomas Carter. 

9 Frances, „ Mar. 3, 1671 ; „ Jonathan Tompson. 

10 Thomas, „ 1 673 ; lived in Killingly, Ct., and had issue. 

11 Joseph, „ c. 1675; „ „Woburn, 




*f>fa Otdtjvxsr?^ 



am 







Thfl earliest mentioned person by the name of Whitmore I have yet met 
„Uh if Tohn of " tamford, who was living in Wethersfield in 1639. He was 
™". ls J,u„ Tndians in 1648' leaving a son, John. I have some reason to 
^Ipect thai b' w^the father' of all of the name here, and that the following 
will give about the record of his children's births : - 
Thomas b. 1615 ; the ancestor of the Wetmores. 
Ann ' „ (?) 1621; m. George Farrar. 
Mary", „ (?) 1623 ; „ John Brewer. 

71 



562 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



1- 4 



-12 
13 
14 



Francis, b. 162.5; of Cambridge. 
John, „ (?) 1G27 ; of Stamford, 1650. 

Francis Whitinore, of Cambridge, owned lands there, near the Plain ; near 
Charles River, by the Boston line ; in Charlestown, near Minottamie ; near 
Dunbarke's Meadow ; and also in Medford and Lexington. His house stood 
on the dividing line between Cambridge and Lexington, and is mentioned in 
the act of division. He served in the Indian wars, under Major Willard, as 
the treasurers' books witness. His name, with his wife's, stands on a petition 
in favor of an old woman charged with being a witch; hence he can hardly 
have been of the extreme Puritan party, although a member of the church. 

John Whitmore was one of the early settlers in Medford, at least 
at the period when the records commence. He m., 1st, Rachel, 
dau. of Francis Eliot, and widow of John Poulter, of Cambridge. 
His children by her were — 

SgS;| b - Ma y 8 ' 1678 'm. John Elder. 

John, „ Aug. 27, 1683. 

He m., 2d, Rebecca Cutter, June 3, 1724 ; and d. Feb. 22, 1739. 

Dec. 24, 1680, he, with John Hall, Thomas Willis, Stephen Willis, and Ste- 
phen Francis, divided the Collins Farm between them ; Caleb Hobart having 
previously sold John W. one-fourth of this estate. In addition to this land, 
he owned the house shown on a preceding page, and also land in BiUerica 
and Charlestown. He was in service, under Major Swayne, against the Indians 
at Saco ; and his wife petitioned the General Court that her husband might 
be restored to her and her three infant children. The fall after his return, 
he was engaged in purchasing lands and building a house. His funeral 
sermon was by Mr. Turell, from Acts xxi. 16. 









4-12 
12-15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 



Francis Whitmore m., 1st, Anna Peirce, Dec. 7, 1699, and had — 



4, 1701. 
22, 1703 ; d. same year. 

4, 1707. 
13, 1710; „ Mar. 16, 1713. 

1, 1712; m. Eben. Tufts, Feb. 17, 1731. 
11,1714. 



Sarah, b. May 

Hannah, „ Jan. 

Anna, „ May 

Eliot, „ Mar. 

Rachel, „ Apr. 

Mercy, „ Mar. 

Elizabeth, „ July 21, 1716; « Thos. Fillebrowne, Mar. 30, 1732. 

His wife d. Aug. 6, 1716. His 2d wife, Mary , d. Mar. 29, 

1760. He d. Feb. 6, 1771. 

He was associated in business with his brother John, and also carried on 
the trade of a tanner ; he bought land of Stephen Willis, to be used as a tan- 
yard. He also owned land near Marbey Brook, besides his property in Med- 
ford. * 

4-14 John Whitmore m. Mary Lane, of Bedford, and had — 

14-22 Mary, b. July 17, 1707 ; m. \ \ s }> J - Weber, Aug. 19, 1725. 

£ 2d, White. 

23 Susanna, „ Nov. 25, 1708 ; „ $ I s }' Ben J- Weber, Sept. 6, 1727. 

I la, Page. 

24 John, „ Apr. 15, 1711. 

25 Francis, „ Oct. 4, 1714. 

26 Martha, „ Apr. 22,1716; „ $ J°&n Sinner, Dec - 22 « 1743 ' 

' t and d. Mar. G, 1780. 

27 William, „ Dec. 19, 1725. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES, 563 

John d. Mar. 26, 1753. His widow d. Mar. 27, 1783, aged 96. He was at 
first a housewright, but afterwards, went into business with his brother. He 
owned much property in Medford ; and his oldest son, John, having removed 
to Bedford, he resided there chiefly in his old age, and was so liberals bene- 
factor to the church as to be mentioned with gratitude on the records. His 
daughters all left issue; and one of them, Susanna, left descendants, now 
living in Lexington, by the name of Chandler, who still preserve some relics 
of their ancestor. The family of Lane, when it emigrated from England, left 
property there, the rents of which were .paid to the heirs, John Whitmore's 
descendants included, until within fifty years, when the heirs, being nume- 
rous, sold the estate, and divided it. 

^^9 v^nr^^^t 



14-24 John Whitmore m. Martha Lane, of Bedford, and had — 

24-28 John, b. Oct. 23, 1737 ; d. Aug. 29, 1743. 

29 William, „ Mar. 17, 1739; „ Sept. 11, 1743. 

30 Ebenezer, „ Jan. 1, 1741; „ Aug. 24, 1743. 

31 Martha, „ Sept. 30, 1742; „ Apr. 17, 1750. 

32 Mary, „ May 2, 1744. 

33 Lucy, „ Nov. 8, 1743 ; „ Feb. 16, 1750. 

34 Susanna, „ July 16, 1747; „ Mar. 4, 1750. 

35 John, „ June 13, 1749 ; „ Feb. 21, 1750. 

He d. Oct. 25, 1748, and his wife removed to Conn. He was a leading man 
in Bedford, being selectman, treasurer, and clerk. The town, during his life, 
sent no representative. 




* TjOkz^ ' 



14-25 Francis Whitmore, jun., m. Mary Hall, Jan. 1, 1739, and had — 

25-36 Stephen, b. Oct. 21, 1739. 

37 Francis, bap. Aug. 16, 1741. 

38 William, b. Sept. 6, 1746. 

39 Mary, „ Dec. 25, 1750; m. Thomas Blcvlgett, of Lexington. 

40 Elizabeth, ,, Nov. 27, 1752 ; „ Elisha Sesvms. 

41 John, „ Nov. 25, 1754. 

42 Susanna, „ Sept. 14, 1757 ; „ Thorns Dmsmore. 

43 Andrew, „ Oct. 2, 1760. 

Francis W. was engaged in business * Medford; but his too generous 
method of dealn^ emLrrassec ^£VSJ£OTS£ v£h B 333 
LT Ke^ H waVen^ge^ snS'ing masts for the royal navy, an occu- 
pSon Thich gave much olfelce to the ^*™*>* CI0Wn tands - He *" 
Apr. 27, 1794; and his wife d. Oct. 20, 1791, aged 79. 




'^tZ^^V 



r^^C^^--^Un) 



14-27 William Whitmore m. Mary, dau. of Thomas and Mary Brooks, 

Oct. 1, 1747, and had — 



564 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



27-44 William, b. May 3, 1748; d. Nov. 19, 177-5. 

45 John, „ May 31, 1750; „ July 28, 1750. 

46 Mary, „ Oct. 25, 1752 ; m. Walker, of Rindge. 

47 Sarah, ,, Nov. 7, 1757; d. s.p. 

48 Samuel, „ Dec. 15, 1759 ; „ Oct. 22, 1762. 

49 Martha, „ s.p. 

He was a graduate of Harvard College; but bodily weakness prevented 
him from active pursuits, though he was a schoolmaster for a short time. 
The manner of his death was very peculiar ; he having died in consequence of 
an illness produced by a dread of the smallpox. He d. Mar. 10, 1760. His 
widow d. Oct. 10, 1765. 

25-36 Stephen Whitmore m. Mary Whittemore, July 14, 1763, and 

had — 
36-50 Elizabeth C, b. May 19, 1764; m. John Springer. 

51 Stephen, „ Sept. 15, 1765; d., s.p., 1787. 

52 Samuel, ) T ,', ,-£ 

53 WilliamJ „ June 11, 1768. 

54 Francis, „ Mar. 19, 1770 ; „ „ July 22, 1795. 

55 John, „ Nov. 25, 1771 ; still living (1855). 

56 Jonathan Wins, „ Aug. 22, 1773 ; m. Mary Rogers. 

57 Benjamin, „ July 12, 1775 ; „ Elizabeth Temple. 

58 Mary, „ Oct. 26, 1777. 

59 Rhoda, „ Feb. 9, 1779. 

60 Sarah, „ Oct. 12, 1782. 

61 Andrew, „ Sept. 16, 1785; d. Oct. 1, 1785. 

Hed. Oct. 15, 1816. 

25-37 Francis Whitmore, 3d, m. , and had — 

37-62 Elizabeth Sanders, bapt. Oct. 13, 1765; d. Aug. 22, 1777. 
63 Francis, „ Aug. 2, 1767 ; „ Aug. 14, 1820. 

He removed to Boston , and with him the name departed from Medford J 
within a year or two, one of the name has occasionally resided there ; but 
now he also has gone. 

25-41 John Whitmore m. Huldah Crooker, Apr. 12, 1781 ; and had — 

41-64 William D., b. Nov. 3, 1781. 

65 Mary, „ July 19, 1783 ; d. July 7, 1792. 

66 John, „ July 6, 1785. 

67 Hddah R., „ Dec. 14, 1787. 

68 Thoiaas, „ Oct. 17, 1789; m.{ El ^ 1 f£? e8; d "^-' Mar ' 

69 Isaiah C., „ Feb. 21, 1792. 

70 Gamaliel „ Feb. 8, 1794. I 

71 Swanton, „ Feb. 14, 1796. 

72 Creighton, „ Mar. 19, 1799. 

73 Angeline, „ Nov. 14, 1801 ; „ J. C. Humphreys. 

74 Elizabeth, „ July 31, 1803; „ Levi Gould, and d. 1849. 

75 Almira, „ I e b. 14, 1807 ; „ John Lovey. 



Jcrlwi h/hiSf' 



wi h/fa^y* ^y/OY^— 



25-43 Andrew Whitmore m. Lucy Couillard, and had — 

43-76 James C, b. Jan. 19, 1787. 

77 William H., „ Sept. 10, 1788. 

78 Merrill, „ Feb. 20, 1792; d., s.p., 1813. 

79 Elizabeth C, „ Apr. 18, 1794. 

80 Sophia F., „ Oct. 9, 1803. 

81 Louisa, „ Oct. 10, 1806. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 565 



36-55 John Whitmore m. Sarah McLellan, and had — 

55-82 Amherst, b. Sept. 18, 1805. 

83 Philena, „ May 2, 1807. 

84 John, „ Jan. 29, 1809. 

85 Hannah S., „ Sept. 16, 1810. 

86 Nathaniel M., „ Oct. 1, 1812. 

87 Stephen, „ May 9, 1814. 

88 Sarah, „ Jan. 9, 1816. 

89 Chadbourne, „ Oct. 4, 1818. 
. 90 Samuel, „ Feb. 15, 1820. 

41-64 William D. "Whitmore m. Rhoda Woodward, Jan. 20, 1805, and 
had — 

64-91 Charles, b. Dec, 19, 1805 ; d. Mar. 24, 1807. 

92 Charles O., „ Nov. 2, 1807. 

93 Martha. „ May 9,1810; „ Nov. 3, 1814. 

94 Huldah, „ Aug. 1, 1812; m. W. G. Barrows. 

He d. 1819. 





O^l c 



41-66 John Whitmore m. Mary Wheeler; and d. Feb. 30, 1818. He 
had — 

66-95 Abigail, b. Jan., 1813. 

96 Gilbert D., „ Aug. 17, 1815. 

97 Mary Anne, „ Dec, 1817. 

41-69 Isaiah C. Whitmore m. Elizabeth Ann Culver, and had — 

69-98 Mary E., b. June 23, 1823 ; d. Aug. 8, 1848. 

99 Frederic H., „ Dec. 8, 1824 ; m. Mary E. Curtiss, Oct. 21, 1848. 

100 William P., „ June 28, 1827. 

101 Virginia, „ Nov. 15, 1828. 

102 Isaiah C, > v , 91 1ft „ n . C d. June 27, 1839. 

103 Edward, 5 " xe0 ' ^ 1MU »( II Mar. 14, 1830. 

104 Emma, „ Nov. 14, 1831 ; „ Apr. 9, 1842. 

105 Julia Ann., „ Feb. 24, 1834 ; „ May 1, 1835. 

106 Henry, „ Nov. 30, 1836. 

107 Edward C., „ June 12, 1840; „ Oct. 1,1841. 

108 Edwin, „ Apr. 5, 1842. 

109 Azelia, „ June 6, 1844. 

110 Franklin G. „ Sept. 8, 1846. 

64-92 Charles O. Whitmore m. Lovice Ayres, and had — 

92-111 Charles J., b. Apr. 27, 1834. 

112 William H., „ Sept. 6,1836. 

113 Martha H., „ Sept. 5, 1838. 

114 Anna L., „ Sept. 16, 1840. 

115 Charlotte R., „ Mar. 9,1843. 

116 Creighton, „ Dec. 16, 1845; d. Apr. 25, 1848. 

His wife dying Sept. 27, 1849, he m., 2d, Oct. 30, 1851, Mary 
E. Blake, widow of George Blake, jun., of Boston, who has 
by her first husband two daughters. v 



1 WIER, ELEAZER, and Catharine, had — 

1- 2 Elizabeth, b. July 11, 1696. 
3 Susanna, „ May 8, 1699. 



566 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



4 Eliot, b. May 16, 1701. 

5 Prudence, „ May 18, 1703. 

6 Catharine, „ Mar. 16, 1706. 



WILD, SILAS, of Braintree, was b. Mar. 8, 1736. He m., 1st, 

Ruth Thayer, who d. Dec. 29, 1793 ; leaving — 
Sarah. 
Jonathan. 



1- 2 



sS} b - Jan - 13 ' 1762 - 



He m., 2d, Sarah Kingman, of Weymouth. He d. Sept. 30, 
1807. 



1- 2 Silas Wild m., 1st, Abigail Wild, who was b. Feb. 4, 1761, and 

d. Jan. 8, 1803 ; leaving children : — 

2- 3 Silas, b. Jan. 23, 1787. 

James T. 
Abigail. 
Elizabeth A. 
Mary C. 
Alden. 
Lydia. 
Washington. 
Adams. 

He m., 2d, Mrs. Deborah (Noyes) Hayden, who d. Sept. 12, 
1845, aged 91. He d. Oct. 12, 1828. 

2- 3 Silas Wild m. Ruth Reed, of Braintree, Mar. 19, 1812, who was 

b. Dec. 1, 1785. He had — 
Abigail, b. June 17, 1814. 

3- 4 George W., „ Aug. 29, 1816. 

5 Silas F., „ Aug. 24, 1818. 

Jonathan S., „ Apr. 29, 1820; d. Sept. 18, 1820. 

Elizabeth R., „ Aug. 14. 1821; m. Alfred Odiorne, Apr. 1, 1852. 

Mary P., „ Mar. 7, 1823. 

6 Henry M., „ Dec. 26, 1825. 

Ellen R., „ Oct. 18, 1828 ; „ Elijah Sampson, of Duxbury. 
Ann J., „ July 7, 1833. 

He moved to Medford in 1832. 

3- 4 George W. Wild m. Elizabeth M. Otis, June 3, 1840, who was 

b., Aug. 31, 1818, in Exeter, N.H. No issue. 

3- 5 Silas F. Wild m. Lucy D. Smith, Oct. 26, 1843, who was b. 

July 11, 1819. Child: — 
Emma Warren, b. Feb. 17, 1845. 

3- 6 Henry M. Wild m. Caroline S. Bean, Oct. 22, 1850, who was 

b. in Durham, Nov. 16, 1822. Child : — 
Henry F., b. June 4, 1853. 



1 WILLIS, GEORGE, was freeman, May 2, 1638, then living at 

Cambridge with wife Jane. In a petition to Andros, 1688, he 
states his age to be 86, and that he had lived in Cambridge near 
sixty years. He d. 1690, aged c. 90. His children were — 

1- 2 Thomas, b. Dec. 28, 1638. 
3 Stephen, „ Oct. 14, 1644. 

1- 2 Thomas Willis m. Grace , who d. Jan. 23, 1716. He lived 

first in Billerica, where he had three or four children. He 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 



567 



4 
5 

6 

7 
8 



moved afterwards to Medford. In 1708, he conveyed to his son 
Stephen land and housen by the Mill Creek, in Boston. He d. 
Aug. 14, 1725. His children b. in Medford were— , 
19, 1C73. 
9, 1677. 
16, 1679. 
1, 1682. 
7, 1685. 



Elizabeth, b. Oct. 
Jane, „ Apr 

Stephen, „ Nov. 
Mary, „ Mar. 

William, „ July 



1- 3 



3- 9 
10 



Stephen "Willis lived inBraintree; moved to Medford 1678, in 
which year he sold Caleb Hobart, of Braintree, a piece of land 

in that town. He m. Hannah , who d. Mar. 22, 1732, aged 

81. He d. July 29, 1718. Children were — 

Abigail, b. Oct. 3, 1677 ; m. Win. Patten, May 3, 1701. 



Thomas, 
John, 



11 

12 Jonathan, 



14 
15 
16 
17 



Hannah, 
Mary, 
Stephen. 
Rebecca, 



„ Sept. 19, 1679; d. May 16, 1731. 

r Rebecca Tufts, Apr. 17, 1717, 

„ Aug. 6, 1681 ; m. \ who d. Aug. 21, 1747, aged 
(54. He d. Aug. 8, 1755. 
C 1st, Dorothy Wade, Oct. 17, 
} 1706 ; 2d, widow Mary Eliot, 
(1726. Hed.s.p., Sept., 1749. 
C Ruth Bradshaw, Eeb. 10, 
\ 1714, who d. Feb. 19, 1752. 
I He d. Feb. 3, 1767. 
Peter Seccomb. 
Benj. Parker, Apr. 22, 1714. 



Feb. 23, 1684 ; 



13 Benjamin, „ Oct. 30, 1686 ; 



„ 1688; 
„ July 15, 1690 ; 



2- 6 



Thomas Seccomb. 
, and d. Mar. 15, 1718. She 



6-18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 



July 15, 1718. 
Jan. 21, 1705. 



2- 8 



Stephen Willis m. Susanna 

d. Mar. 12, 1742. His children were — 
Susanna, b. Nov. 13, 1699 ; d. Nov. 8, 1700 
Deborah, „ June 27, 1701 
Eliot, „ Aug. 13, 1702 

Patience, „ Dec. 26, 1708. 
Mary, „ Apr. 18, 1710. 

Stephen, „ Oct. 22, 1712. 
Jonathan, „ Mar. 24, 1714; „ Oct. 19, 1714. 
Mary, „ Jan. 29, 1716 ; „ May 18, 1736. 

William Willis m. Rebecca , who d. Sept. 30, 1754, aged 

63. He d. Aug 27, 1754, aged 60, and had — 
8-26 Thomas, b. Aug., 1710 ; d. young. 

Stephen Willis possibly (6-23) m. Elizabeth Bradshaw, Nov. 12, 
1741, and had — 

27 Stephen, b. Aug. 19, 1742. 

28 Hannah, „ Nov. 27, 1743. 

29 Elizabeth, „ Aug. 29, 1745. 

30 John, „ Sept. 17, 1747. 

31 Mercy, „ Feb. 7, 1750. 

32 Susanna, „ June 21, 1753. 

33 Mary, „ Sept. 5, 1756. 

A Captain Stephen Mills, possibly same as above, had by wife 
Mary, son (34) Stephen, b. Nov. 20, 1758. 

35 John Willis, probably a near relative of Thomas (2) and Stephen 

(3), m. Esther, or Hester , and had — 

35-36 John, b. Sept. o, 1694 ; d. Oct. 10, 1694. 
37 Andrew, „ Sept. 30, 1695. 



568 HISTORY OF MEDFOKD. 

38 Esther, b. Feb. 16, 1703 ; [ f^f™^ 7 ™*' ° f LanCaSt6r ' 

39 Thomas, „ Mar. 4, 1705. 

3-11? John, possibly same as (3-11), and Mary Willis, had dau. Mary, 
d. Feb. 3, 1719, aged 5. 

Mary, wife of John Willis, d. Feb. 12, 1716, aged 27 years 10 
months. 

The foregoing are all that can he found on our Medford records ; hut there 
are two branches probably connected, which I desire to record. 

Benjamin Willis m. Ann Gammell, of Medford, and was proba- 
bly connected with the Medford branch ; very likely as son of 
Benjamin (13). He was killed at Louisburg, leaving a son, — 

Benjamin, b. Jan. 10, 1743, who m. Mary Ball, of Charlestown, 

* Oct. 3, 1766, and had — 

-r, . . v tit it™ ( father of Hon. William Willis, 

Benjamin, b. Mar., 1768 ; J Qf Portland< 

Mary, „ Dec. 13, 1774. 

Ann, „ Aug. 24, 1778. 

Elizabeth B., „ June 27, 1782. 
Robert B., „ Mar. 15, 1784. 

Hon. William Willis has kindly furnished me with these facts, and is better 
informed on the genealogy of the family than any person now living. His 
antiquarian taste has found this a welcome field for research. 

Charles Willis, in all probability a brother of the forementioned 

Benjamin, m. Anna Ingols, 1727, and had — 
Charles, b. Aug. 21, 1728. 
Anna, „ Dec. 29, 1731. 

Charles Willis, jun., m. Abigail Belknap, gr.-dau. of Rev. John 

Bailey, of Watertown, and had — 
Charles. 

Nathaniel, b. 1760 ; d. 1832. ' 
Abigail, m. Isaac Collins. 

Of these, — 

Nathaniel Willis m. Lucy Douglass, of New London, and had — 
Andrew, d. young. 

Nathaniel, b. June 6, 1780. 

Rebecca, „ 1782 ; m. Samuel Richards. 

He m., 2d, Mary Cartmell, and had — 



Sarah, 

Mary, 

Eliza, 

Catharine, 

Madeline, 


m. Judge Easton, of- La. 

„ McDonald. 

„ D. R. Ferguson. 

„ Carpenter. 

„ Hiram Still. 


James M. 




Henry C. 

Matilda. 




Julian D., 


deceased. 



The oldest son, Nathaniel, is the well-known publisher in Bos- 
ton. He m., Julv 22, 1803, Hannah Parker, who was b. Jan. 
28, 1782, and d. Mar. 21, 1844. Their children were — 
Lucy D., b. May 11, 1804 ; m. J. F. Bumstead. 

fist, Oct. 1, 1835, M. 

Nathaniel Parker, the well-known au- i.ie'«jn/i> n' 

thor b Jin 20 1806- » i 1845 ; 2d, C. Gnnnell, 

mor ' b< Jan ' Z0> 180b ' J Oct. 1, 1846, who was 

[b. Mar. 19, 1826. 



REGISTER OF FAMILIES. 



569 



Louisa H., b. May 11, 1807. 

Julia D., „ Feb. 28, 1809. 

C Charles H. El- 
Sarah P. (Fanny Fern),, July 9,1811; m. / dridge, May 4, 

(1837. 

Nov 2S 1811 ■ 5 Joseph Jenkins, 

„ Nov. 28, 18U , „ £ Aug>> lg31i 

„ July 23, 1816; d., unm., Mar. 22, 1853. 
„ Feb. 10, 1819 ; m. j 1™^™™*' Sept * 

f C. F. Dennet, June 
„ Sept. 23, 1821 ; „ } 12, 1843, and d. 
( Feb. 5, 1844. 



Mary P., 
Edward P., 
Richard Storrs, 

Ellen H., 



1- 2 

3 
4 
5 
6 

Catharine 

Elizabeth 

Seth 

James 

Phebe 

James 

Joseph 

Joseph 

Joseph 

Joseph 

John 

Jonathan 



WYMAN, JAMES, of Medford, was b. in Woburn, Sept. 28, 
1726. His father was Joshua Wyman, by his wife Mary Pollard. 
Joshua was fifth son of William Wynian, by his wife Prudence 
Putnam ; was b. Jan. 3, 1693, and d. c. 1770. William W. 
was second son of Francis W., of Woburn, who came here at 
an early date, and m., 2d, Abigail Bead. William was b. 1656. 
His father, Francis, d. Nov. 28, 1699, aged c. 82. James 
Wyman, of Medford, m. Susanna Cutter, Mar. 18, 1756, who 

He d. Oct. 26, 1813. Children 



d., aged 38, May 12, 1772. 
were — 

James, b. Jan. 21, 1757 ; m. 

William, „ Dec. 
Joshua, „ Jan. 
Susanna, „ May 



Zaccheus, ,, Nov, 



7, 1760; 
13, 1765; 

1, 1767; 
10, 1769; 



C 1st, Mehitable 

' I Gill. 

Mary Wheeler. 
Susanna Francis. 
Joseph M. Sanderson. 
Abigail Brooks. 



2d, Mary 



Wyman, 



of Charlestown, 
of Woburn, 



m. William Tufts. 

Samuel Wakefield, Jan. 2, 1749. 
Ruth Wright, June 4, 1744. 
Elizabeth Brooks, May 18, 1787. 
Caleb Brooks, 2d, Nov. 20, 1800. 
Susanna Cutter. 
Ruth Feroll, Mar. 15, 1781. 
Mary Wyman, Nov. 15, 1781. 
Mary Dalton, Nov. 13, 1790. 
Hannah Wheeler, July 7, 1821. 
Ruhama Richardson, Feb. 26, 1765. 
Sarah Mansfield. 



72 



ADDENDA. 



All the dates of births, &c, recorded in the first volume of the town-records, 
being all previous to the year 1718, have been incorporated in the preceding 
Register. The second volume, covering the period between the years 1718 
and 1809, contains many dates of which the limits of this work forbid the 
insertion. 

For the assistance of any who may have traced their genealogy to a Medford 
stock, a list is here inserted of the names not previously mentioned, which 
are to be found in the second volume of the town-records, and the dates of their 
appearance thereon. 

Adams, 1757 ; Allen, 1757 ; Andriesse, 1799 ; Attwood, 1718 ; Auld, 1750 ; 
Austin, 1752. 

Bacon, 1749 ; Bailey, 1806 ; Ballard, 1721 : Binford, 1757 ; Blodgett, 1752 ; 
Blunt, 1748 ; Boutwell, 1753 ; Bradish, 1745 ; Brattle, 1747 ; Bucknam > 
1766; Budge, 1762; Burdit, 1761; Burns, 1751; Bushby, 1735; Butterfield, 
1785. 

Calif, 1750; Chadwick, 1756; Cook, 1757; Cousins, 1755; Crease, 1757; 
Crowell, 1752. 

Davis, 1804; Degrusha, 1744; Dexter, 1767; Dill, 1734; Dixon, 1758; 
Dodge, 1749 ; Durant, 1787. 

Earl, 1781; Easterbrook, 1787; Eaton, 1755; Edwards, 1753; Erwin, 
1752. 

Farrington, 1788 ; Faulkner, 1761 ; Fessenden, 1785; Fitch, 1785 ; Floyd, 
1750; Fowle, 1752; French, 1755. 

Gait, 1757; Gardner, 1721; Garret, 1732; Giles, 1719; Gill, 1738; 
Goddard, 1745; Gowen, 1773; Grace, 1779; Greatton, 1718; Green, 1785. 

Hosmer, 1746; Hunt, 1751. 

Kendall, 1752 ; Kettle, or Kettell, 1740. 

Lathe, Laithe, and Leathe, 1738 ; Learned, 1793 ; Le Bosquet, 1781. 

Mack, 1790; Mallard, 1753; Mansfield, 1759; May, 1759; MacCarthy, 
1747; MacClinton, 1750; Mead, 1757 ; Melendy, 1732 ; Morrill, 1732. 

Newell, 1767 ; Newhall, 1751 ; Nutting, 1729. 

Oakes, 1721-75. 

Page, 1747; Pain, 1767; Parker, 1754; Penhallow, 1767; Polly, 1748; 
Poole, 1732; Powers, 1797 ; Pratt, 1791. 

Band, 1789 ; Beed, 1755 ; Bichardson, 1796 ; Bobbins, 1765 ; Bouse, 1770 ; 
Rumril, 1750; Bushby, 1735; Russul, 1733. 



ADDENDA. 



571 



Sables, 1758; Sargent, 1716 ; Scolly, 1733; Semer, 1719; Simonds, 1773 ; 
Souther, 1747; Sprague, 1763; Stocker, 1763; Storer, 1748. 

Tebodo, 1757; Teel, 1760; Tidd, 1746; Tilton, 1764; Tompson, 1718; 
Trowbridge, 1787; Turner, 1729; Tuttle, 1729; Tyzick, 1785. 

Wait, 1725 ; Waite, 1785 ; Wakefield, 1751 ; Walker, 1779 ; Ward, 1718 ; 
Waters, 1721 ; Watson, 1729 ; White, 1749 ; Whitney, 1768 ; William, 1762 ; 
Williston, 1769 ; Winship, 1772 ; Witherston, 1798 ; Wright, 1795. 

As to the strangers who are mentioned on our records, I find that Adrian 
Lubert Andriesse, of Batavia, was born in Boston, Feb. 9, 1799, and baptized 
at Medford, July 7, 1805. Charles Dabney's child, which Mr. Albree had to 
nurse, was baptized July 4, 1742, and named Charles. 

Of those not of American birth or parentage, I find, besides the slaves and 
their children, that Jacob Auld, one of the " Scotch-Irish," had, by wife Ann, 
a daughter, Margaret, born Mar. 19, 1750. 

There seems to have been some Irish families as early as 1745 ; but these 
are named in the foregoing list. 

There remains one class of unwilling settlers in our town, — the Acadians ; 
or French Neutrals, as they are called on our records. Of these exiles from 
Grand Pre, three are mentioned on the records, as follows : — 

Eunice, wife of John Degbusha, was bapt. Feb. 12, 1744. 

John Le Bosquet, and Sarah, his wife, had — 

Joseph, b. Jan. 12, 1781. 

Rebecca, ,, Jan. 19, 1783. 

John Tebodo had, by Ann his wife, — 

Ann, b. July 4, 1757. 

Elizabeth, „ Nov. 1, 1759. 

Joseph, „ Feb. 24, 1762. 

The name of Le Bosquet, preserved in recollection by the Le Bosquet 
House, has been corrupted into Burkit. 

Of the others, I know not whether they removed from town, or whether 
any descendants yet remain. 



CORRIGENDA. 



Page 


i 41. 


J! 


502. 


)) 


506. 


)) 


506. 


5) 


518. 


» 


519. 


)) 


538. 


)) 


538. 



Samuel Cradock was clerk of Thissleton, not elder of Chapleton. 

There is evidently an error in the record of George Blanchard's death. The date 

probably refers to his father, or other relative. 
Thomas Brooks had lot assigned 1634, not 1631. 

Hannah, second -wife of Caleb Brooks (No. 1-3), was born March 5, 1644. 
John Ilall (No. 2-10) married Jemima, daughter of Captain Joseph Sill. 
Percival Hall was not representative to Provincial Congress, as he died twenty-two 

years previously. 
Mr. Savage declines the responsibility of more than the early part of the record of 

the Royalls. 
The wife of Isaac Roy all (No. 2-5) was buried from the house of Dr. Oliver, at 
Dorchester; which strengthens the probability of her first marriage. He had 
a daughter Elizabeth, born 1741 ; died July 9, 1747. 
„ 538. Colonel Royall (No. 5-11) had a daughter, who married George Erring, of Boston. 

He (Colonel R.) died 1781; and his wife died 1770. 
„ 542. Rev. Zechariah Symmes had twelve children : names as given in their place. 
,, 550. There is no probability, considering the dates, that James (No. 246) was son of 

Peter (No. 1). 
„ 555. Lydia, wife of Daniel Turell (No. 1), died June 23, 1659. 
,, 555. Daniel was captain 1683, not 1646. 

,, 556. Hezekiah Usher (No. 1) married, first, Frances . Hannah (No. 5) was daugh- 
ter by second wife, and was born Dec. 29, 1653. He married his second wife, 
Nov. 2, 1652. 
,, 556. Hezekiah (No. 1-2) married Bridget Hoar, 1686, and had no children. All those 

under that record — viz., Nos. 15, 16, 17 — belong to Hezekiah No. 1. 
„ 556. John Usher married Elizabeth Slidgett, not Sidgett. 

„ 558. Jonathan Wade (No. 1) had Mary, baptized October, 1663, who married Wil- 
liam Symonds ; also daughter Sarah. Prudence (No. 5) married, second, Rev. 
Seaborn Cotton. 
„ 558. Jonathan (No. 1-2) had Deborah, baptized March 24,1667; Prudence, June 6, 1669 ; 
Catharine, Aug. 27, 1671, — died soon; Catharine, June 22, 1673; Susanna, 
June 10, 1677; Dorothy, July 10, 1681; all before Dudley (No. 2-8). 
„ 563. Technically, Bedford was a precinct of Billerica when John Whitmore resided 

there. 
,, 568. I am authorized to say that John Willis was very probably the same as No. 3-11. 



Note. — The compiler desires to offer his thanks to the following gentlemen for valuable aid 
in pursuing his investigations : to Dr. Booth and Dean Dudley, Esq., for the Tufts ; to Rev. 
A. H. Quint, for the Halls ; to T. B. Wyman, jun., for the Wtmans, and others ; and, finally, 
to Hon. James Savtge, for very many facts and corrections throughout the whole extent of 
this Register. 

Boston, Oct. 8,1855. 



INDEX. 



Academies, 291. 

Adams, 42, 231, 325. 

Albree Family, 499. 

Albree, 103, 334, 393, 483, 507, 508, 

536. 
Alms-houses, 347. 
Andrews, 41. 
Angier Family, 501. 
Angier, 36, 110, 213, 231. 
Apple, Baldwin, 19. 
Auld, 48. 
Authors, 310. 
Avey, 43. 



Baldwin, 19, 20. 

Ballard Family, 501. 

Baptist Society, 271. 

Bellevue, 54. 

Berry, 36, 43. 

Betts, 37. 

Bigelow, 249, 308. 

Birdue Family, 501. 

Bishop Family, 501. 

Bishop, 36, 49, 54, 95, 110, 336. 

Blanchard Family, 502. 

Blanchard, 36. 

Blaney, 44. 

Boylston, 506. 

Bradbury, 36. 

Bradshaw Family, 504. 

Bradshaw, 36, 65, 103, 329, 33o,431, 

478 526 
Bradstreet,' 28, 37, 97, 103, 482, 504, 

544, 558. 
Brickmaking, 355. 
Bridges, 59, 72. 

Brook, Whitmore's, Marble, &c, 9. 
Brooks Family, 506. 
Brooks, 19, 29, 34, 36, 43, 49, 51, 53, 
55, 65, 72, 106, 109, 112, 114, 126, 
127, 161, 164, 185, 197, 225, 255, 
265, 285, 307, 315, 411, 545, 563, 
569, 570. 
Brown, 509. 
Brude, 87. 
Buel, 51. 
Bugbe, 36. 



Bunker, 43. 
Burden, 36.-—^*" 
Burgess, 441. 
Burying-grounds, 425. 

Call, 36. 

Chad wick, 509. 

Chairmen, Board of Selectmen, 126. 

Child, 315. 

Chubb, 509. 

Clark, 509. 

Cleaveland, 509. 

Clough, 509. 

Collins, 34, 36, 41, 42, 43, 93. 

Colman, 208, 221, 232_, 304. 

Communion-plate, 265. 

Converse, 3, 36. 

Cooke, 36. 

Crackers, Medford, 388. 

Cradock Family, 509, 510. 

Cradock, 2, 3, 14, 33, 39, 40, 41 42, 
44, 46, 47, 59, 83, 87, 88, 92, 410, 
431,480. 

Crimes and Punishments, 431. 

Crisp, 36, 43. 
Cummings, 510. 
Currency, 401. 
Curtis Family, 511. 



Dady, 37, 44. 

Danforth, 36. 

Davidson, 37, 42, 59, 74. 

Daustin, 36. 

Deane, 36. 

Degrusha, 109. 

Dexter Family, 510. 

Dexter, 36, 44, 139. 

Dill, 511. 

Diseases, 449. 

Distilleries, 390. 

Dix, 36. 

Dudley, 14, 30, 31, 33, 77. 

Edes, 511. 

Education, 275, 278. 
Eliot, 37, 511, 538, 562. 
Endecott, 30, 32, 83. 



574 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Erring, 176, 570. 
Expenses, 117. 

Far well, 611. 

Faulkner, 49. 

Felt, 36. 

Ferry, Penny, 6. 

Fillebrowx Family, 511. 

Fillebrown, 97, 417. 

Fire-department, 471. 

First Settlers, 36. 

First House, 39. 

Fisheries, 381, 386. 

Fitch, 36. 

Forests, 13, 14. 

Fox, 36, 512. 

Francis Family, 512. 

Francis, 36, 37, 194, 231, 258, 313, 

326, 355, 388. 
Freeman's Oath, 98. 
Frost, 44. 
Frothingham, 44. 
Fulton, 514. 

Gardner, 4, 574. 
Garrett, 36, 42. 
Gibons, 37, 43, 73, 74. 
Gilchrist, 514. 
Gillegrove, 515. 
Glover, 41. 
Goodnow, 36. 
Goodwin, 44. 
Grace Church, 277. 
Graduates, 301. 
Graves, 13. 
Greatton, 515. 
Greene, 32, 36, 44. 
Greenland, 15, 36. 
Greenleaf Family, 515. 
Greenleaf, 106. 
Gregg Family, 516. 
Groves, 44, 517. 

Hall Family, 517. 

Hall, 36, 51, 52, 96, 158, 317, 351, 

501,502, 570. 
Hammond, 44. 
Hancock, 202, 213, 527. 
Harris, 527. 
Hathaway, 527. 
Haywood, 36. 
Higginson, 12. 
Hill, 36. 

Historical Items, 478. 
History, Civil, 93. 

Ecclesiastical, 200. 

Military, 181. 

Natural 21. 

Political, 143. 

Hobart, 37. 



Holden,^2, £$ 
Hosmer, 293, 302. 
Howard, 17. 
Howe Family, 528. 
Hutchinson, 31, 200. 
Hutton, 538. 

Indians, 72, 80. 
Ingraham, 439. 

Johnson, 6, 15, 31, 44, 67. 

Josselyn, 1. 

Justices of the Peace, 169. 

Kenrick, 528. 
Kidder Family, 528. 
Kidder, 112, 225, 483. 
Knox, 529. 

Labor in Vain, 7. 

Lands unappropriated, 105, 107. 

Laribee, 530. 

Laavrence Family, 529. 

Lawrence, 104, 233, 302. 

Lawyers, 308. 

Leathe, 265, 530. 

Le Bosquet, 485. 

Letter, 495. 

Lexington Fight, 151. 

Libraries, 294. 

Light Infantry, 189. 

Lightering, 392. 

Lincoln, 30. 

Locke, 530. 

Lyceums, 295. 

Lynde, 44. 

Magoun, 48, 360. 

Manners and Customs, 452. 

Manning, 36. 

Mansor, 530. 

Map, 421. 

Markham, 36, 42. 

Martin, 36. 

Mather, 205. 

Mayhew, 36. 

Maverick, 2. 

McClure, 49. 

Medford a Town, 119. 

Melvin, 44. 

Methodist Society, 270. 

Michelson, 42. 

Middlesex Canal, -W6? '. 

Mills, 392. 

Moore, 36. 

Mystic Church, 273. 

Mystic River, 6. 

Name, 1. 
Newell, 36, 44. 



INDEX. 



575 



Norton, 74. 

Nowell, 3, 7, 9, 14, 37, 43. 
Noyes, 36, 97, 121. 
Nutting, 531. 

Oakes, 36. 

Oldham Family, 531. 

Oldham, 89, 100. 

Oliver, 538, 570. 

One Hundred Laws, 101. 

Osgood, 236, 240, 531. 

Oysters, 387. 

Palmer, 37. 
Parker, 51, 52, 531. 
Patch Family, 532. 
Paterson, 533. 
Patten Family, 533. 
Pauperism, 441. 
Peirce Family, 533. 
Pemberton, 36. 
Pepperrell, 538. 
Perkins, 534. 
Perry, 534. 
Physicians, 302. 
Pierpont, 262, 312. 

Polly, 151, 534. 

Ponds, 5. 

Population, 451. 

Post Office, 421. 

Porter Family, 534. 

Porter, 36,49,51,52,211, 309. 

Pounds, 449. 

Prices Current, 400. 

Pritchard, 36. 

Productions, 12. 

Putnam, 151, 306. 

Public Buildings, 325. 

Pynchon, 4. 

Quincy, 4, 73. 

Railroads, 57. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 17. 

Raymond Family, 535. 

Real Estate, Sales of, 44. 

Records, Town and Church, 28, 

Reed, 535. 

Reeves Family, 535. 

Reeves, 36, 106, 449, 560. 

Register of Vessels, 368, ct seq. 

Representatives, 168. 

Revil, 31. 

Richardson, 537. 

Roads, 50. 

Rowse, 44. 

Royall Family, 538. 

Royal, 4, 9, 49, 87, 170, 176, 

265, 355, 482, 570. 
Russell, 34, 36, 41, 42, 43, 44. 



29. 



224, 



Sagamore John, 14, 32, 72, 73, 75, 

76, 77, 78. 
Samson. 539. 
Sargent, 36. 
Savage, 38, 570. 
Savel, 539. 
Schoolhouses, 345. 
Seccomb Family, 539. 
Seccomb, 39, 49, 51, 106, 110, 332,486. 
Senators, 168. 
Settlement, First, 29, 33,96. 

Sewall, 8, 207, 213, 436. 

Shadwell, 44. 

Shed, 540. 

Shephard, 3, 36, 42, 541. 

Ship-building, 357, 366. 

Simonds, 36. 

Slaves, 434. 

Smith, 4, 12, 36, 54, 75, 295. 

Societies, 476. 

Soldiers, 165. 

Sprague, 8, 32, 107. 

Squa Sachem, 43, 73. 

Stearns, 306. 

Stilman, 37. 

Storms and Freshets, 446. 

Stower, 9. 

Swan Family, 541. 

Swan, 36, 307. 

Symmes Family, 542. 

Symmes, 2, 4, 37, 42, 74, 353. 

Tainter, 543. 

Taverns, 422. 

Taxes, 408. 

Thompson, 19, 543. 

Touro, 493. 

Town incorporated, 119. 

Town-clerks, 127. 

Town Hall, 346. 

Tornado, 444. 

Trade, 349. 

Tufts Family, 543. 

Tufts, 37, 42, 43, 44,49,51, 144, 196, 

297, 303, 306, 484, 495, 570. 
Tufts College, 297. 
Turell Family, 555. 
Turell, 29, 49, 221, 310, 319. 

Universalist Church, 269. 
Usher Family, 556. 
Usher, 36, 168, 169, 170, 178, 188, 
193, 345, 419, 538, 570. 

Wade Family, 558. 

Wade, 8, 28, 34, 36, 41, 42, 43, 44, 

48, 97, 100, 327, 425. 
Waite, 36, 51,439,560. 
Warren Family, 560. 
Warren, 225. 



°5 






576 



HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 



Washington, 69, 161. 

Waterman, 87. 

Watson, 36. 

Weber Family, 560. 

Wellington, 37, 55. 

Wheeler, 34, 43. 

Whitefield, 226, 233. 

Whitmore Family, 561. 

Whitmore, 9, 36, 68, 69, 97, 103, 106, 
109, 126, 209, 216, 217, 265, 331, 
332, 334, 353, 411,412,414,415, 
438, 507, 511, 513, 553, 560, 570. 

Wier, 49, 565. 

Wigglesworth, 8. 



Wild Family, 566. 

Willard, 105. 

Willis Family, 566. 

Willis, 28, 36, 42, 96, 99, 101, 102, 

103, 106, 218, 241, 265, 328. 
Wilson, 2, 3, 14. 
Winthrop, 2, 3, 5,511, 13, 14, 20, 25, 

30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38, 45, 74. 
Window, 268. 
Woodbridge, 203, 313. 
Woodward, 36. 
Wolcott, 15. 
Wyman Family, 569. 
Wyman, 112. 




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